Phantoms of a Wish: Ghosts of Captain N
by HyruleKing
Summary: Part 4 of the Phantoms of a Wish series. Following Jennette's outburst in the park, the Sages find themselves on the run from and fighting a government now hunting all people with super human abilities.
1. Chapter 1

**Phantoms of a Wish: Ghosts of Captain N**

 _Pandora… Reviving Angel… Trying to help Handsome Jack. It all seemed like a good idea, given that we ended up on that ball of death by mistake. And stumbled across the two of them also by mistake. I honestly thought he wasn't the asshole everyone was convinced he was. And I wanted to give Angel a better life than the one she had and lost. I wanted her to have a second chance. I wanted to see her and her father and developing a loving relationship and be some sort of a family. Was that so wrong? I guess so._

 _I should've known that Jack would turn on us as soon as we opened the Vault. I should've made the choice to put a bullet in his head. Especially when the first thing Angel asked me after being revived was why. Why would I trust him? And she was right. Why did I trust him? It nearly got Shaylene killed. It nearly got both of us killed. It nearly got all of Pandora burned to the ground. And even though I didn't die, it sure as Hell changed a lot about my life. Even more than the changes I've seen since that bomb blew up and gave me magic powers…_

* * *

CJ, Stacey, Alex, Aubrey and Dayan stood in the park in the center of town. Standing around the park were shocked people, some crying children, and a few too many police officers, most of which were questioning the people around the park. Several police cruisers were parked nearby, lights flashing, and an ambulance could be seen in the distance, racing down the streets, also with its lights flashing. A police officer walked over to CJ and his friends.

"Can you tell me what happened?" The officer asked. "People seem confused. Say they saw someone screaming about something, and then a teenage girl just dropped to the ground. Some say they saw a weird light; some say they felt a force that nearly knocked them over. A few even say they saw some sort of… energy ball or something. None of them say they saw anyone physically touch anyone else. But all of them say this group was the source of the disturbance."

"My friend was mad at me." CJ said. "Felt I endangered her sister."

"Why did she think you endangered her sister?" The officer asked.

"Her sister hasn't been feeling well lately." CJ said. "Had a few fainting spells. Doctor said she shouldn't be out of the house for a while. I took her out and her sister found out. We got into an argument here and her sister fainted."

"Your friend fainted? Or your friend's sister fainted?" The officer asked.

"Friend's sister." CJ replied. "Though they're both my friends."

"And where did your friend go?" The officer asked.

"I don't know." CJ said. "She just… ran off after her sister fainted."

"I'm going to need to collect some information from you." The officer said.

"Yes sir." CJ responded. The officer collected various information from everyone: names, addresses, phone numbers. Including Shaylene and Jennette's information.

"Thank you." The officer said. "That's all for now. Do me a favor and get yourself to the hospital. Your friend needs you."

"Yes sir." CJ said. Within moments, the police cars had cleared out and most of the citizens had gone about their business.

"What was that?" Dayan asked. "Lying to cops now?"

"What? What does that mean?" CJ asked. "You expect me to just tell them that we have magic powers and Jennette inadvertently hit her own sister with magic in a fit of rage and then I struck her back? Why are you acting like I'm the bad guy here?"

"Because… We're starting to think you are." Alex said.

"Even Jennette sees it." Aubrey said.

"What the Hell are you talking about?" CJ asked.

"You nearly destroyed Pandora!" Alex said. "You helped Jack, brought him to Sanctuary, led him to the Vault… If it weren't for Jennette, he would've killed you and Shaylene!"

"I thought he changed…" CJ said.

"You thought wrong!" Dayan said.

"You were the one screaming about keeping Shaylene safe when we landed on Pandora!" Alex said. "And then you nearly got her killed by Handsome Jack!"

"When _you_ dropped us on Pandora." CJ said. " _You_ touched the monolith. And she stepped up to defend me. You're acting like I used her as a human shield!"

"No, but _you're_ the reason we have powers." Alex said. "You're the reason we even found the monolith."

"Did you listen to the Watcher at _all_?!" CJ asked. "The Eridians placed the monolith ages ago! The Vault of the Destroyer triggered Eridium on Earth! The Eridium triggered powers!"

"But _you_ went back in time! _You_ came back to this age and gave us powers early!" Alex said. "And then, even after reversing it, you triggered it a second time, restoring the powers you had just reversed and amplifying some of the effects!"

"I'm done listening to this." CJ said, beginning to walk away. "I'm going to see my friend in the hospital."

"That's right! Walk away from your problems!" Alex said. "Keep letting the darkness blind you!"

"What about you, Stacey?" Aubrey asked. "Are you going with him?"

"Yeah." Stacey said, walking away. "Hun, wait up!" Alex, Dayan and Aubrey turned around and walked in the opposite direction. "Wait… Shit, what happened to my car?" CJ looked around for a moment.

"Is that it over there?" CJ asked, pointing across the street to the police station. Parked in the parking lot was a silver SUV.

"Oh thank God." Stacey said. Within about 30 minutes, Stacey's car pulled into the parking lot near the emergency room entrance of the local hospital. Before she had even cut the engine, CJ jumped out and ran inside.

"How can I help you?" The nurse behind the counter asked as CJ rushed over.

"Shaylene Johnson." CJ said. "Where is she? I'm a friend."

"What's your name?" The nurse asked. CJ gave her his name. "Yes, she had you listed under her emergency contacts in her phone. Follow me." By this time, Stacey had made it in. He waved her over. The nurse pressed a button near the counter and a set of double doors opened nearby. "Come through the double doors." CJ and Stacey walked through the doors where the nurse met them. "This way. We've still got to run some tests, but she seems fine, which is odd. According to paramedics, she wasn't breathing and had no pulse when they got her. When they got her here, she was unconscious, but the basics came back normal when we checked… blood pressure, pulse, she was breathing. We've been monitoring her oxygen levels and heart rate, but she seems fine. Were either of you with her when the incident occurred?"

"Yes, ma'am. Both of us were." CJ said. "She just collapsed. No idea why. She had no pulse when I checked her either. Wasn't breathing either."

"The paramedics said someone had performed CPR on her prior to their arrival." The nurse said.  
"I presume that was you?"

"Yes, ma'am." CJ said. "My job requires us to be certified in First Aid and CPR."

"Here she is." The nurse stopped outside one of the rooms in the ER. Inside, CJ and Stacey saw Shaylene laying in the bed, thankfully conscious.

"Thank you." CJ said.

"You're very welcome." The nurse said. "We'll be back in a bit to take her for those tests." CJ nodded and the nurse walked away.

"CJ…" Shaylene said weakly. CJ rushed over to the side of her bed and grabbed her hand.

"Shay... How are you feeling?" CJ asked.

"Better." Shaylene said. "Jennette?"

"No idea." CJ said. "She ran off after you collapsed. It's just me and Stacey."

"Are Alex and the others out in the waiting room?" Shaylene asked.

CJ paused, then sighed. "No."

"Why not?" Shaylene asked.

"I don't know." CJ said. "They all walked away from me after the incident in the park. Called me the bad guy. Blamed me for everything that's happened to us since the N-Sphere."

"Janelle and Danielle?" Shaylene asked.

"I'm sure Dayan will fill Danielle in." CJ said. "We haven't exactly seen eye-to-eye ever. Doubt she'll side with me. If anything, she'll turn on me harder than anyone else. As for Janelle-" Stacey's phone started ringing.

"There she is right now." Stacey said, swiping the answer button. "Hello?"

 _"Stacey, thank God. Where have you been?"_

"Power stuff." Stacey said.

" _For two and a half weeks? We've all been panicking. Mom and Dad are worried sick. We thought the worst. I've been trying to keep them calm, but you know how Dad gets."_

"We… were on another planet." Stacey said.

" _What? How? Where?"_

"It's a long story." Stacey said. "Look, I'll be home soon. I'm with CJ and Shaylene at the hospital."

" _Are you okay?"_

"I'm fine. Jennette attacked Shaylene and CJ attacked Jennette." Stacey said. "Again, long story. It's me, CJ and Shaylene right now. Everyone else basically abandoned CJ. They blame him for everything that's happened to us over the past several months."

" _Fill me in when you get home. I'll try to calm Mom and Dad. Somehow."_ Stacey then hung up.

"We've left a big mess behind us while on Pandora." Stacey said. "Two and a half weeks missing. Families going crazy."

"I know." CJ said. "We may not be able to hide this stuff anymore. Almost eleven months. We should be proud that we were able to hide it for this long. Not just from our families, but from the world. With everything that's happened, it's a borderline miracle that this hasn't slipped out."

"Not entirely." Shaylene said. "Remember those geologists before we ended up on Pandora. Other people are developing powers. And I'm sure they have been for all of these eleven months. I'm sure it's working its way into public knowledge. Thinking about it, I don't know why Jennette was so upset."

"She had every right to be." CJ said. "I _am_ supposed to protect you."

"No. It's not your job to protect me." Shaylene said. "And I'm talking about her trying to hide our powers from Mom and Dad. With everything going on, they'd find out eventually. It'd be easier if they knew what was going on. For all of us." CJ held up his hand, Triforce aglow. Shaylene looked at her own and saw the same.

"Yes." CJ said. "It _is_ my duty to protect you." Shaylene sighed.

Meanwhile, in a dark, windowless room in an unknown location, Jennette found herself chained to a chair. Around her were several men and women in suits and sunglasses, most of whom seemed to be guarding both her and the exit.

"Where am I?" Jennette asked. "Let me go! Now!"

"I'd be calm if I were you, Miss Johnson." A new female voice said. She sounded familiar to Jennette, as if she had heard the voice before.

"Who's there?" Jennette asked. "Where are you?"

"Safely outside your chamber." The woman said. "For now. I'll come in when I see the need."

"And just when will you 'see the need'?" Jennette asked.

"When you've calmed down." The woman said.

"I'll calm down when you take these restraints off of me and tell me where I am." Jennette said.

"If I free you, what's to stop you from attacking my guards like you did your sister and friend in the park?" The woman asked. Jennette looked shocked. "That's right. I know about your powers. And your friends."

"Who are you, exactly?" Jennette asked. "What do you know about my powers? And why are you so afraid of me?" The door to the room opened and brown-haired, brown-eyed woman walked in. Like the others, she was dressed in a suit. Clipped to her waist was an ID card, but Jennette couldn't make out the details.

"Oh, _I'm_ not afraid of you." The woman said. "Alyson Hale, CIA."

"C-CIA?" Jennette asked, fear filling her voice. "W-what does the CIA want with me? I haven't done anything wrong."

"I'd say you have." Agent Hale said. "Let me show you." She pointed to the nearby wall, where a video was now being projected.

" _Save it!" Jennette snapped. "You nearly got my sister killed! I spent two weeks working to keep Mom and Dad from calling in the goddamn SWAT team! Two fucking weeks! Because of this stupid powers bullshit! Because I knew Shaylene and you were probably off on some mission stopping some monsters or something! I assumed you were looking out for her! But now I know you nearly got her KILLED!"_

" _Jenn… I was trying to protect him…" Shaylene said._

 _"He's supposed to protect you!" Jennette said. "It's hard enough trying to hide our powers from Mom and Dad as it is! Imagine if you got killed! What the fuck would I say then?!"_

" _Jennette… I'm sorry." CJ said. "Please… She's fine. We're all fine. Just calm down…"_

"Fine?" Jennette snapped. "Are my parents fine?! My Mom and Dad, who've barely slept in almost three weeks, because their baby girl has been missing! Are they fine?! You endangered my sister's life! And worst of all, when he became real, you sided with Handsome Jack!" Energy began to swirl around Jennette. "I wish we'd never gotten these stupid powers. I wish… I wish it would all just go away! I wish you would go away!" A wave of pure energy rippled out from Jennette, and a cry of pain was heard as someone was struck.

" _Shay!" CJ exclaimed, rushing to his best friend's side. "Shay! Speak to me! Wake up!" CJ frantically tried to wake Shaylene, as several onlookers called 911 in a panic. "Damnit Jennette! What have you done!?" Without a thought, he fired a blast of energy back at Jennette, knocking her onto her back. She struggled to stand, terrified by what she had done, and quickly ran away as fast as she could._

The video stopped and the color drained from Jennette's face.

"50 million." Agent Hale said. Jennette swallowed nervously.

"Fi-fifty mil… million w-what?" Jennette asked.

"Views." Agent Hale said. "50 million views online. That video has gone viral. And I'm sure more than 50 million people have seen it. Let's assume half of those views are all different people. Each person shows the video to 10 friends. That's close to 300 million people who've seen that. That's nearly the entire population of the United States alone."

"Wh-what?"

"300 million people who've seen two freaks attack each other in a small park in a small New England town." Agent Hale said.

"I'm not a freak!" Jennette said.

"But you are." Agent Hale said. "The public fears your kind. 'Catalysts'…" Hale laughed. "The public is scared of you and others like you. People with superhuman abilities. People with powers. Did you and your friends honestly think you could keep up this 'superhero' charade? Like you could be the saviors and defenders of humanity? People would find out eventually. And when they did, humanity would turn on you. Turn in fear and run."

"You're lying!" Jennette said.

"Am I?" Agent Hale smirked. "Ask yourself. If you were someone with no powers. No extraordinary gift like yours. Would you really accept your kind with open arms? Look at this." She motioned to the wall, which was projecting a new video.

" _Good evening, everyone. We begin with Breaking News tonight out of Massachusetts. Police are investigating following reports of an unusual attack in one city park. This viral video, which has recorded over 50 million views in only a few hours, shows the incident." The video of the fight between CJ and Jennette began to play again, this time on the news. "According to police, a young man and woman were arguing in this park in a city north of Boston when witnesses say the girl in the background, whose identity has been withheld, suddenly collapsed. As seen in the video, the young man tries to aid the girl, before throwing what witnesses described as a 'ball of darkness' at the young woman. Police say the young woman has not been found and at this time, the young man is not facing any charges. The girl is expected to survive." The video then changed to Agent Hale standing at a podium. "The White House released this video earlier today which they say is related to the viral video."_

" _What people are seeing in that video is a result of something the CIA and FBI have been investigating for several months now. Earlier this year, several devices were set off around the world, which caused people to develop unusual superhuman abilities, such as the two seen in this video. These devices were not explosive in nature, but released a chemical agent in the air seemingly designed to cause these superhuman abilities. We believe that the video going viral, of these Bio-Terrorists, who refer to themselves as 'Catalysts', is a staged fight, meant as a call to arms to their comrades, recruiting others like them to rise up against those immune to their virus. Those who they consider normal, lesser or subhuman. The CIA and FBI have developed a joint task force, known as the Atlas Defense Agency, to combat these Bio-Terrorists. Should you encounter these dangerous humans, do not approach them. Instead contact your local authorities, who will contact the local ADA field office to apprehend these monsters."_

"All of that's a lie, and you know it!" Jennette said.

"But the people don't." Agent Hale said. "They're fearful of your kind."

"And this will only make the fear worse!" Jennette said. "Bio-Terrorists? We're not monsters!"

"We'll see." Agent Hale said, walking out.

Back in the hospital, CJ and the girls were watching local news coverage. They watched as a report on the incident played, followed by Agent Hale's announcement.

"Shit." CJ said. "That's not good."

"Why?" Shaylene asked. "They're not going to know we have powers."

"They're not going to know _you two_ have powers." CJ said. "That was obviously me in that video. We need to leave."

"But the hospital hasn't discharged me yet." Shaylene said.

"And after that press release, they won't." CJ said. "The hospital will call those government people and they'll come after me. We can't wait for them to discharge you. We need to run."

"In her condition?" Stacey asked.

"It's our only option." CJ said. "Well… I could run on my own, but I refuse to leave the two of you behind. Damn, this would be the time to have those Insta-Healths from Pandora…" He looked around and saw a nurse's cart to his right. Making sure no one else was around, he grabbed a bandage off of the cart and carefully pulled Shaylene's IV out. He placed the bandage over the point where the IV went in. He scanned her, making sure no other equipment was connected to her.

"Stacey, she's hooked up to a heart monitor. We're gonna have to get the pads off her chest, as well as the oxygen monitor on her finger." CJ said.

"Like Hell." Stacey said. "Your hands aren't going anywhere near her chest." CJ sighed and looked at Shaylene.

"Sit up. I'm gonna have to piggyback you out of here, and staff's going to come running as soon as we take those monitors off. Stacey, grab her clothes please. We're going to need to make a swift exit." Stacey grabbed the bag marked "personal belongings" from the nearby table and Shaylene climbed onto CJ's back, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and chest, and her legs around his waist. "Shay, can you get the pads off?"

"Yeah." Shaylene said.

"Good. I'll take off the finger clip." CJ said. "You two ready?"

"No, but it's gotta be done." Shaylene said.

"About as ready as I'll ever be to break someone out of a hospital." Stacey said.

"Shay, on the count of three." CJ said. "One… Two… Three." Shaylene pulled off the heart monitor pads as CJ slipped off the finger monitor. Within moments, the machines started beeping. "Go!" Stacey rushed out of the room ahead of CJ and Shaylene, with CJ trailing just behind her, moving as fast as he could for someone carrying a 17-year-old girl. It didn't take long before they reached the exit, surprisingly unopposed by hospital staff.

"Why didn't anyone try to stop us?" Shaylene wondered.

"That government woman's warning." CJ said. "She said that if anyone encountered Catalysts they were not to engage them, but contact authorities. And that video clearly outed me as a Catalyst."

"I'm insulted." A new voice said. "I'm just 'that government woman'?" CJ and the girls looked ahead and saw Agent Hale. "I have a name, you know." CJ immediately recognized her face, but knowing that everything leading to Captain N's defeat had been wiped from the memories of everyone else but him, he acted like it was their first meeting.

"And just what is that name?" CJ questioned.

"Special Agent Alyson Hale, CIA." Agent Hale said. "As I'm sure you heard from the news report, I'm the head of an elite joint task force between the CIA and the FBI, known as the Atlas Defense Agency. We have been tasked with containing the threat of Bio-Terrorists such as yourselves."

"You know what we are and what kind of abilities we possess." CJ said. "What makes you think you can capture us?"

"I've already captured several of your friends." Agent Hale said. "Including your friends Jennette and Janelle."

Shaylene and Stacey's eyes widened. Stacey rushed forward, forming a spear of water in her hand.

"No one hurts my sister!" Stacey said. Agent Hale simply smirked and held her palm out toward Stacey. An intense heat seared forth from Agent Hale's hand, evaporating the spear in Stacey's hand. Agent Hale then snapped her fingers, and a spiritual clone of her appeared behind Stacey, binding her hands and knocking her to her knees.

"Don't you touch her!" CJ said, charging a shadow blast. Agent Hale swung her hand in CJ's direction, and a chunk of pavement tore up from the parking lot, striking CJ and knocking him to the ground.

"CJ!" Shaylene exclaimed.

"Oh. Did I forget to mention I captured your friend Alex as well?" Agent Hale said. She smiled, stepping toward Stacey.

"Leave… her… alone…" CJ struggled under the weight of the slab of concrete, stone and dirt. Agent Hale placed her hand on Stacey's head and the two began to glow. Stacey cried out in pain as Agent Hale laughed menacingly. Before long, the glow vanished and Agent Hale stepped back. She examined her hands, now surrounding by water.

"Time to test my new powers." Agent Hale said, as the slab of earth crumbled and the spiritual decoy vanished. CJ and Stacey struggled to stand up and charged toward Agent Hale, ready to attack. Hale smirked and held her hand out in their direction, moving her fingers slightly from time to time. CJ and Stacey felt themselves suddenly frozen in place, unable to move any part of their body. As they struggled to move, Agent Hale began to twist her hand and fingers, and CJ and Stacey found themselves uncontrollably starting to kneel.

"I can't move!" CJ said. "I have no control over my body!"

"That's because I have the control." Agent Hale said. "I'm using your fiancee's water powers to control the water in your bodies, bending you to my will." Shaylene struggled to try to stand. "Don't try it, little girl."

"Shay, don't!" CJ said. "We'll… find a way… to fight this…"

"No you won't." Agent Hale said. "You're mine. I have you under my thumb, under my power, and soon, I'll have you under… your own… power…as – What's… happening to… me?" CJ felt himself gain more control over his body. He turned and saw Stacey had managed to break free enough and was using Agent Hale's own technique against her, controlling her using the water in her body. As Hale fell to Stacey's counter-attack, CJ found himself gaining strength.

"You need to get out of here! Both of you!" Stacey said, struggling to hold back Agent Hale.

"But what about you?" CJ asked.

"She has everyone else!" Stacey said. "Or at least Janelle, Jennette and Alex! You can't let her get you too! I can't hold her off _and_ escape… You need to go without me. I'll be fine. I promise."

"We'll come back for you! I swear!" CJ said, as he and Shaylene fled.


	2. Chapter 2

_January 29, 2015_

 _What a fucking way to spend a birthday. Two months since we got back from Pandora. Two months since Jennette attacked Shaylene and ran off. Two months since the ADA captured all of our friends. It's just me and Shaylene now. The hospital may have said she was normal, but her sister's magic took a Hell of a toll on her body. Two months later, and I still don't think she's fully recovered._

 _And I don't even know if her sister… or my fiancée, for that matter… are even alive at this point. Or any of our friends in that case..._

 _"Friends"... I use that word like that's really what they are._

" _Blinded by darkness". I keep replaying that phrase over and over in my head. Maybe I am. Maybe I've just been fighting it for too long. Maybe there is an evil part of me fighting for control. And slowly winning. But even so, why would they just turn their backs and walk away? If your friend is fighting a battle like that… trying to fight the darkness in their own body… wouldn't you want to stay by their side and help them overcome it?_

* * *

CJ walked through a small village. All of the houses were built into the stumps of what were presumably once giant trees. Scattered around the village were nothing but children, though some of them looked more aged. He stopped along the edge of a small stream, rolled up his jeans, sat on the shore, and dunked his bare feet. He had been wandering the village, and much of the forest barefoot. Despite the time of year, it was surprisingly mild in the forest. Maybe because of whatever magical climate force was at work in Hyrule. As he soaked his feet, one of the children came running over. A young boy. Brown hair, green eyes, wearing a green tunic and shorts.

"Um… Your Majesty?" The boy asked.

"Yes?" CJ responded.

"The Sage of Light is awake, sir." The boy said. "She's asking for you."

"Thank you." CJ said.

* * *

 _I don't know why my first choice was the forest when we ran. I guess maybe it was the isolation. Maybe it was because Shaylene still wasn't 100%, and I knew we could get rest and healing here. It's not the first time we've come here for refuge._

 _Even though it was a dream, when Mat turned on Hyrule and hit me with the Reekfish Toxin tipped Light Arrow, I sought out the wise potions master of the forest to stop the poison from killing me._

 _And when Shaylene had to fend off that asshole Derek, she'd come to the Deku Tree's forest to hide._

 _And given that we stayed there as long as we did without being found by Agent Hale, I'd say it was a good plan. She may have known about our powers, but whether or not she and the public had knowledge of Hyrule, the Mushroom Kingdom, and the other lands still remained to be seen. And if she did have knowledge of them, it seemed like accessing them or searching for us within them was either out of her ability, or out of her jurisdiction. In a sense, the Kokiri were harboring a fugitive of the U.S. Government. Of course, that fugitive was their kingdom's king."_

* * *

CJ walked into one of the stump houses, where Shaylene was sitting in a bed. She gave him a weak smile as he walked in.

"How are you feeling?" CJ asked.

"Physically? A lot better." Shaylene said. "Otherwise? I still feel like I was hit by a truck. A truck that fucked up my mind and my magic."

"Then let's get out and train them both." CJ said.

"I don't know if I can…" Shaylene said.

"We need to." CJ said. "Hale has our friends. And we're technically fugitives. Possibly even wanted."

"Then how do you know we're safe here?" Shaylene asked.

"Two months and she hasn't come after us." CJ said. "Either she doesn't know this place exists, which is unlikely given her powers, or she knows it's not part of the U.S. and she has no authority here."

"But if Catalysts are a worldwide thing, won't there be similar task forces in other countries?" Shaylene asked.

"Of course." CJ said. "But this is Hyrule. Even if such a task force exists here, they wouldn't turn in their own king. That said, we can't stay here forever."

"Why not?" Shaylene asked.

"Aside from needing to rescue our friends – I should stop calling them that…" CJ said.

"Why? They are our friends, aren't they?" Shaylene looked confused.

"Yours maybe." CJ said. "I told you that they all turned on me after returning from Pandora. As far as I know, you, Stacey and Janelle are my only friends. And I can't even be sure that they're alive."

"Yes you can." Shaylene said. "In your stories. You called yourself the Avatar Sage. Stupid title, but you had a connection to the other Sages. The ability to tap into all of our powers."

"It was a power of my amulet." CJ said. "Tied more to the Triforce of Power than any Sage. One of the stones in the amulet gave me the ability to transfer magic between the Sages. To some degree, it allows me to tap into another Sage's magic, but not to the degree in my stories. And it's decently taxing on my body, unless the Sage is with me. But, we can all sort of focus in on each other's energy."

"So you can tell if the others are okay? And where they are?" Shaylene asked.

"I can tell if they're alive." CJ said. "There's a balance between the 9 of us. If one of us dies or is killed, we all feel it. So, I can tell if another Sage is alive. I can't tell where they are or how physically injured they may be. But like I said, we can't stay here forever. Aside from rescuing the others, we need to put a stop to whatever war Agent Hale is planning."

"Which is what?" Shaylene asked.

"Hell if I know." CJ said. "Wiping out all Catalysts, I suppose."

"Why?" Shaylene asked.

"I dunno." CJ said. "Fear, maybe."

"But, she's a Catalyst." Shaylene said. "Why would she fear her own kind? Why would she turn on her own kind?"

"Look at inFamous." CJ said. "The villains in that game were Conduits. Kessler, Bertrand, Augustine."

"But Kessler was Cole." Shaylene said. "He went back to stop The Beast so he could save his futu- Oh my God…"

"Yeah." CJ said. "I know. The Conduit comparison was all too accurate when Dayan and I first made it. Captain N did the same thing as Kessler. Agent Hale is doing something similar to both Bertrand and Augustine."

"But Bertrand thought he was sent on some kind of holy mission from God to wipe out all Conduits." Shaylene said.

"And Agent Hale seems to be on some government mission to wipe out all Catalysts." CJ said. "Or at least imprison them."

"Like Augustine." Shaylene said. "She joined the government to imprison Conduits because she thought that would protect them from the general public who feared them. Very different from Bertrand."

"But we don't know what Agent Hale's endgame is." CJ said. "This could be a Bertrand situation or an Augustine one. But much like both, she has the same abilities as those she's fighting against. Of course, she could be imprisoning Catalysts for reasons other than 'protecting' them. It could be a combination of both Bertrand and Augustine. Maybe Hale hates what she is, but rather than kill, she uses her powers to imprison Catalysts 'for the good of humanity'. I really don't know. But we can't worry about what her plan is, we need to worry about how we're going to rescue Stacey, Jennette and the others. After we get your strength back up."

"Damn… I was really hoping you had gotten distracted from that subject." Shaylene said. "Wait… can't you just go back in time- No, wait… We've already discussed that you can't."

"You're not avoiding this training thing." CJ said, sitting next to his best friend. He placed his hand on her knee.

"Can't we just do some kind of training montage or something set to 'Eye of the Tiger'?" Shaylene asked.

"What do you think this is? A 'Rocky' film?" CJ asked. "Come on. You can do this. I'll be with you every step of the way. We'll work it slowly. Don't worry." He stood up and held out his hand. Shaylene took his hand and he helped her stand up. "We'll start with something simple."

"Which is?" Shaylene asked.

"I'm going to deploy a small group of Shadow Scouts into the Lost Woods." CJ said. "Then, you and I will go out there and you'll use your powers to try to find them."

"I… I don't know if I can do this…" Shaylene said.

"I believe in you, Shay." CJ said. "I know you can do it." He focused for a moment and a few bursts of shadow energy flew out from into and scattered into the forest around them. "Come on." CJ then led Shaylene through the village and into the woods. Once in the woods, they were standing in a small clearing surrounded by four large log tunnels. A faint, familiar tune could be heard. "Don't be deceived by the Skull Kids' song. Focus on the Shadow Scouts. Use your magic senses, not your human ones."

Shaylene closed her eyes and focused. "Left, then left again. Hiding behind… a Gossip Stone."

"Correct." CJ said. "Three more."

"Okay… From the Gossip Stone… Go straight, then right, straight and… left? In the tunnel leading to Goron City." Shaylene said.

"Well done. Two more." CJ said.

"From Goron City… Three lefts. Behind a tree." Shaylene said.

"Excellent." CJ said. "Where's the last one?"

"From the tree, go straight, then left, then left again and finally right. Hiding in the maze within the Sacred Forest Meadow." Shaylene said.

"Perfect." CJ said. "And you doubted yourself. Now, let's up the ante a bit." He focused his magic for a moment and vanished.

"CJ? Where'd you go?" Shaylene asked.

"Focus." CJ's voice echoed. "I've created clones of myself. Four clones are hiding in the Lost Woods, as am I. Find the real me."

"Sheikah tricks?" Shaylene asked. "That's not fair."

"Come on, kiddo. You've got this. Focus on the real me." CJ said. "For more of a challenge, strike down each clone with a well-guided Light Arrow." A crossbow covered with woodland camouflage appeared at her feet.

"Is this… your dad's crossbow?" Shaylene asked.

"Arm it with Light Arrows and take down the clones." CJ said. "I know you can do it."

Shaylene closed her eyes, focusing only on the magic around her. She armed a glowing golden arrow into the crossbow and fired it into the air, focusing on the arrow itself. She guided the arrow through the Lost Woods and into the arm of someone identical to CJ standing near a small lake. When struck, he vanished in a plume of purple haze.

"That's one." CJ said. "Can you find the other three?" Shaylene prepped another arrow and fired it into the air, guiding this one into the leg of someone sitting on a stump outside a stone temple built atop a cliff side near a leafless tree. Like the other, he vanished in a puff of smoke. "That's two."

"I don't want to hurt you…" Shaylene said.

"And you won't." CJ said. "Just stay focused. Discern my magic from the magic of my decoys." Shaylene fired another arrow, guiding this one into the shoulder of someone hiding behind a rock outside the path to Goron City. Once again, he vanished like the others. "One more."

"I don't know if I can do this…" Shaylene said.

"I know you can." CJ said. "You've got this. You managed to find all of my scouts and take down three of my four decoys. But I want to really challenge you. On this final shot, aim for the chest."

"No! I can't!" Shaylene exclaimed. "I don't want to hurt you!"

"Don't doubt yourself." CJ said. "You can do this. I have faith in you." Nervously, Shaylene armed one last arrow into the crossbow and fired it into the sky. Focusing her energy, she guided the arrow through the forest and into the chest of a target standing near a pair of stumps and a dancing Skull Kid. "Shit!" The arrow pierced the chest of the real CJ.

"CJ!" Shaylene exclaimed. "No!" Within seconds, he appeared next to her, arrow sticking out of his chest. "This is what I was afraid of!"

"I told you." CJ said. "Don't doubt yourself. It's only going to set you up to fail." He fell to one knee and snapped the arrow in half, leaving the tip in his chest. Light energy arced around his body as he struggled to stand.

"I can't!" Shaylene exclaimed. "I don't want to train anymore! I don't want anyone else getting hurt! Especially you!"

"Come on." CJ said, standing up. "Let's head back to the village and rest up."

A short time later, CJ and Shaylene were back in the stump hut. Shaylene was laying on the bed and CJ was standing by the stove. A young girl walked in. She had red hair, blue eyes, and like the other Kokiri, wore a green tunic and shorts. However, unlike most of the Kokiri, her face appeared more aged.

"Nice to see you're up and about." She said.

"It takes a lot more than that to keep me down." CJ said with a smile. The Kokiri woman turned to Shaylene.

"Do not fret, child." She said. "The King is fine." CJ turned the dial on the stove, lowering the intensity of the flame, and then walked over and sat on the bed with Shaylene as the Kokiri woman exited the house. CJ wrapped his arm around Shaylene's shoulder and pulled her close to him.

"Don't worry. I'm fine." CJ said. "I barely felt the arrow."

"That's not what it sounded like." Shaylene said. "It sounded like it really hurt."

"Okay, you're right." CJ said. "I _did_ feel it. It was an arrow to the chest. But I'm fine now. Besides… I'm going to want you to actually _fight_ me before we head back out and try to save the others."

"But… I can't…" Shaylene said, her eyes watering. "I don't want to hurt you."

"And I don't want you to get hurt out there." CJ said. "The only way I'm going to feel comfortable with you is if I know you're back at full strength. Your sister's magic took a real toll on you, and I need to know you're okay. And the easiest way to do that is for you to truly honestly beat me in battle."

"But…"

"I don't like the idea, but if it takes a few more months to train you and get you back to strength, we'll do it." CJ said.

"No! We can't risk Jennette or the others getting killed!" Shaylene said.

"And rushing in to find our friends now will only get you killed." CJ said. "And I know your sister. If you're killed, one of two things will happen. She'll blame herself or me. We're already divided. If the divide between the Sages gets any stronger, it _will_ be war. And we can't have that."

Shaylene sighed. "I… I understand." CJ embraced her tighter before getting back up.

"I'm almost done cooking." CJ said. "And it's getting dark. We'll resume our work in the morning. For now, let's just eat and get some rest."

* * *

 _I didn't like leaving everyone for as long as we did… But I didn't think there was any other option. Especially Stacey. I knew Agent Hale and her ADA had Stacey, Janelle, Jennette and Alex. I had no idea where Dayan, Danielle and Aubrey were, or if they were okay._

 _But I knew they were alive._

 _I knew they were all alive. I could feel it. Whether we at war with each other or not, there's a bond between the Sages. A balance of power. And we're all tuned to that balance. We know when it's the way it's supposed to be, and we know when death disrupts it._

 _As long as that balance was intact, and I knew all my fellow Sages were alive, I knew there was hope of rescuing them. Though, I knew Stacey was likely upset at how long it was taking to rescue her. And I knew she'd be more upset if she was in the forest with us…_

* * *

The next day, Shaylene awoke to the sunlight shining through the trees surrounding the village, the weight of something on her chest and the feel of sweat on her forehead. She turned to her side and saw CJ lying next to her, his arm draped over her. Somewhere during the night, he must have climbed into bed with her.

"CJ…?" She nudged his shoulder gently, trying to wake him. His eyes slowly opened and he let out a big yawn.

"Morning, Shay." He said with a smile, as the two sat up. "Sleep well?"

"Amazing, somehow..." Shaylene said. "What… happened last night?"

"You were tossing and turning in your sleep." CJ said. "Mumbling something. I couldn't tell what. I tried to wake you, but you were too out of it, so I just laid down next to you. You calmed almost instantly."

"I had a nightmare about hurting you…" Shaylene said. CJ wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him.

"You didn't hurt me." CJ said.

"But… yesterday." Shaylene said.

"A minor physical wound." CJ said. "It'll heal on its own. I'm more concerned about your mental, spiritual and magical injuries."

Shaylene sighed. "Thank God. I was worried that we… Well… you know…"

"Of course not." CJ said. "Aside from the fact that Stacey would never forgive me, I could never forgive myself if I took advantage of you like that. You mean too much to me. I wouldn't be able to live with hurting you like that." He climbed out of the bed and walked over to the kitchen area. Sitting near the cupboards was a basket filled with eggs. "How do you want your eggs, and how many eggs do you want?"

"Three. And sunny side up please." Shaylene said.

CJ smiled. "Six sunny side up eggs, coming right up." He grabbed six eggs from the basket and, with less than perfect precision, cracked them into the frying pan, getting the majority of the egg into the pan with only a couple pieces of shell. "I'll get that down eventually."

"Someone who loves to cook, kicks ass in the kitchen, but can't crack eggs without making a mess." Shaylene said. "Go figure."

"Shut up." CJ said.

"Seriously though, I envy your future wife." Shaylene said.

"Why?" CJ asked. "Is it because I'm so damn handsome?"

"Deflate the ego there, Casanova." Shaylene said. "And no. It's because when someone tells her to get back in the kitchen, she can say 'Sorry. I suck at cooking. Let me call my husband to make you a sandwich.'"

CJ couldn't help but chuckle. "I personally like the good old 'Go fuck yourself', but that's got a nice ring to it, too." He said.

"Well yeah, the classics are always good." Shaylene said. "Though when guys at school tell me to get back in the kitchen or make them a sandwich, I usually just say 'Mayo or Mustard?' Gets them every time."

"Picking up Stacey's tricks now?" CJ asked.

"Maybe a few." Shaylene smirked. CJ grabbed two plates, sliding three eggs onto each.

"Eggs are done." He said. "Eat up. You need your strength for training." He handed one of the plates to Shaylene and sat down next to her.

* * *

 _March 13, 2015_

 _Once again… What a way to spend a birthday. Of course, this time it's Stacey's and not mine. But here we are. Her birthday and we're not together. And if she's not bummed about that, to make it worse, she's likely holed up in some government facility God knows where._

 _On the positive side, Shaylene's training is working well. She's made a lot of improvements over the past month and a half. I have to say I'm impressed. She's almost back to her old self. Physically and magically anyway. Some more work on her offense and she'll be back in top magic form. I'm still worried about her mental and spiritual well-being, though. She still hasn't recovered from the trauma of being nearly killed by her own sister, or watching her best friend lash out at the same sister. And I don't think she's gotten over hitting me with a Light Arrow, despite the number of times I've told her it's not a problem._

 _Hard to believe it's been four months since we came home from Pandora, and over a year since the N-Sphere activated and threw us into this crazy new life. So much has changed, not just around us, but in us, and I worry that so much more is going to change. And not for the better. Four months I've spent worrying about the other Sages, regardless of how they may feel about me. At least I can take comfort knowing that they're all still alive. But it's not much comfort if I don't know that they'll stay that way._

* * *

CJ and Shaylene sat next to each other on the forest floor, both soaking their bare feet in the small stream flowing through the village. CJ had his arm around her and she was resting her head on his shoulder.

"You've made some good progress, Shay." CJ said.

"So are we ready to go rescue everyone?" Shaylene asked.

"Depends." CJ said. "How are the nightmares?" Shaylene glanced down at her feet in the stream.

"I'm… still having them." Shaylene said.

"That's what I was afraid of." CJ said. "Which nightmares specifically?"

"Both." Shaylene said. "The one where I hurt you and the fight between you and Jennette."

"Of course." CJ said. "That's a problem. I don't want you fighting until I know you're ready. As long as you're still haunted by what's happened, I don't think you're ready to fight. On top of that, as long as you keep having one of those nightmares, we can't move into the final phase of training your magic."

"Why not?" Shaylene asked.

"Because the final phase involves sparring with me." CJ said.

"But…"

"You don't want to hurt me." CJ said. "I know. That's why I said we can't start that yet. We have to overcome that hurdle first. We need to get rid of that fear."

"But how?" Shaylene asked.

"That's the part I'm not sure about." CJ said. "I'm not quite sure how to go about the mental and spiritual healing. I kind of hoped that time would fix that on its own."

"Of course…" Shaylene said.

"It may be something that can at least be aided with potions." CJ said. "If not, there are certainly strong spiritual places in Hyrule we can go to, and meditating in those places may do the trick."

"I hope so." Shaylene said.

* * *

 _I knew I was on a time crunch and I had to act fast. Four months was already more time than I wanted to spend. I knew I couldn't rush this, but I also knew that the faster Shaylene got better, the sooner we could get out and find our friends._

 _I got to work using every trick I could think of… Potions, meditation, traveling to spiritual strong points in the kingdom… Nothing was working. I started getting the idea that maybe conventional magic wasn't the answer. As odd as it sounded, maybe I needed more… basic human techniques. Though we had been talking about it for the entirety of the four months. I wasn't sure that was really going to help._

 _But either way, I had to try. I wasn't giving up, and I was pretty much willing to try anything at that point. And that's when the idea hit me. Combining conventional human techniques with magic…_


	3. Chapter 3

"How did you learn how to get so good at this? That feels amazing!" Shaylene was lying on her bare stomach and CJ was massaging her back and shoulders. His hands were giving off a golden glow, and occasionally, Shaylene's body would give off the same glow.

"No idea." CJ said. "It's not really something I was ever taught or learned on my own. I've never even had a massage before. It's just kind of natural, I guess." The golden glow died down and his hands became surrounded by pure white spiritual energy. "Let me know if this hurts at all." He lifted his hands and hovered them about an inch away from Shaylene. As he did, she began to glow as well. He moved his hands up and down along her back, keeping them hovering just above her body. As he did, she felt a rush of energy surge through her body.

"What are you doing?" Shaylene asked. "I feel like I'm gaining strength."

"I'm using my amulet to tap into Jennette's magic. Remember, one of her abilities is the ability to heal spiritual injuries." CJ said. "With any luck, I can use my amulet to heal you spiritually. After that, it's just working to heal the mental stress."

"How will I know when I'm healed?" Shaylene asked, sounding more relaxed.

"It'll take a few days." CJ said. "You won't know, but I will." He stepped back and dropped to a knee as a shockwave rippled through his body.

"CJ!" Shaylene cried out.

"I'm fine." CJ said. "Stay there. It's just a result of using another Sage's abilities. The Amulet gives me the ability to transfer magic. Amplifying it with my own magic is what adds the ability to strip other people's magic and use other Sages' abilities. That's why it's so taxing."

* * *

 _I was right. Thankfully. Tapping into Jennette's abilities seemed to heal Shaylene. It was only a matter of time before she was okay. And only a matter of time until we could finish her training and start looking for our friends._

 _Of course, in the process of healing her, I took a hit myself. So now we were both finishing recovery. Fortunately, I knew I'd recover a lot faster than it had taken to heal her._

* * *

CJ stood at the stove and Shaylene was asleep in the bed. Shaylene let out a small yawn and CJ turned to see her sitting up and stretching out her arms above her head.

"How'd you sleep?" CJ asked.

"Amazing." Shaylene said.

"Any nightmares?" CJ asked.

"Now that you mention it… No." Shaylene said. "Fifth night in a row."

"Good." CJ said. "That means the magic's working. You're healing. Maybe even completely healed." He walked over to the corner of the room where all their stuff was casually thrown and grabbed his crossbow, slinging it over his shoulder. "Let's go."

"Where are we going?" Shaylene said.

"We're going out to do the last bit of your training." CJ said. "You're going to fight me. You ready?" Shaylene nodded.

"Yeah. I think so." She said.

"Cool. Let's go." CJ said.

A short time later, the two were standing in a small clearing surrounded by a tall stone wall atop a tall cliff. A doorway was dug out of the wall and a tree next to the doorway served as an access point to the cliff where the doorway rested. Below and to the right of the doorway was a small stump.

"I want to put all your skills to the test with this fight." CJ said. "I need to make sure you're in top form. Especially with what may be coming."

"Got it." Shaylene said. CJ snapped his fingers, creating four decoys using his magic. Like him, each one was armed with a crossbow. All five of them, decoys and the real CJ, armed a blast of shadow magic and fired it at Shaylene. She quickly deployed a dome of light magic around herself, countering and negating all five blasts.

"Good work." CJ said. "Now try this." A wave of shadow energy rippled out from him, striking down the light barrier. He and the four decoys spread out, surrounding Shaylene. They each armed an arrow, charging it with shadow magic and fired. Reacting quickly, Shaylene gathered energy into her hand, forming a bow and quickly fired off five Light Arrows, countering each shadow-charged arrow. She then fired off a sixth Light Arrow, striking the second CJ from her left. The other four vanished.

"Didn't think I knew which one was the real you, huh?" She asked.

CJ smirked. "Good job." He said. "Or at least it would've been. If that _was_ the real me." The CJ with the Light Arrow in his shoulder vanished in a puff of smoke, revealing his existence as a decoy. CJ emerged from a shadow portal on the ground and leaped into the air, crossbow armed with a shadow-charged arrow. Shaylene suddenly spun around, firing a Light Arrow at him. The arrow struck the crossbow, knocking it out of CJ's hand and he dropped to the ground.

"Like I said: Didn't think I knew which one was the real you, huh?" Shaylene smiled. CJ reached down, picked up his crossbow and slung it over his shoulder.

"Very good." CJ said. "One last trick." He activated his amulet and Shaylene felt a surge of energy. He then vanished and reappeared, along with nine decoys, all surrounding Shaylene. "I've given you a super charge of magic, using my amulet. You have one shot. Find the real me and…" Dark clouds gathered over the Forest Temple clearing. "Hit with a bolt of lightning."

Shaylene took a deep breath and focused.

" _Don't be afraid to hurt me. Overcome that fear."_ CJ's voice echoed in her mind. She held her hand up to the sky and electricity began to arc through the clouds. With a single, fluid motion, she pulled her hand down, creating a path from cloud to ground. A few seconds later, a bolt of lightning cracked through the air, striking CJ, who was standing to the left of Shaylene in a position relative to ten or eleven on an analog clock. The decoys vanished and CJ dropped to one knee, electricity occasionally arcing around his body.

"Damn, kiddo…" CJ said, his breathing a bit labored. "Hell of a strike. I actually felt that a bit more than I expected." Shaylene ran over to him and held out her hand. He grabbed it and she helped him stand, supporting him with her arm around his waist. To further support himself, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"How'd I do?" Shaylene asked.

"Your abilities speak for themselves." CJ said. "I think you're good. Time to start looking for our friends."

"Finally." Shaylene sighed.

* * *

 _April 13, 2015_

 _It's been about three weeks since Shaylene's training finished. Close to five months since the incident in the park, and close to five months since the other Sages were captured by Agent Hale and her organization. Shaylene and I have been working constantly trying to locate everyone else, but so far haven't had any luck. I've reached out to contacts in the Mushroom Kingdom and the other video game realms and asked that they contact me if they hear any chatter about the ADA._

 _So far, although I've gotten no reports of the other Sages, I have heard that there's been minimal, if any, ADA activity in the other realms. Maybe Agent Hale can't get authorization from her superiors to enter these territories, or the ruling parties in these areas have refused to allow her and organization to enter._

 _Of very few things am I certain. One: We need to find the other Sages and figure out what Hale's plan is. Two: Thankfully, I know the other Sages are still alive. And three: Regardless of how all this plays out, as long as I'm still free, Hyrule will be a safe haven for all Catalysts and all citizens of the Nintendo worlds seeking asylum and safety from the ADA and the United States._

* * *

CJ and Shaylene were sitting in a large room deep beneath Hyrule Castle. Various computer consoles and monitors lined the walls, and several other Hyruleans were working at those computers. Some were Kokiri, some were pointy-eared humans known as Hylians, some were humanoid rock creatures known as Gorons, some were humanoid creatures with blue scaly skin, fins and mermaid tails on their heads known as Zora, and others were tan-skinned crimson-haired woman known as Gerudo. On a few of the screens were familiar faces to CJ and Shaylene: Peach, Queen of the Mushroom Kingdom and her husband, King Bowser Koopa… Kirby and MetaKnight, defenders of Dream Land… Sonic the Hedgehog and his best friend, a two-tailed red fox known as Miles "Tails" Prower… and a gray hare in a red military uniform. He was Peppy Hare, General of the Cornerian Army. With him was a green toad in a blue jumpsuit and silver jacket. He was Slippy Toad, member of Team Star Fox and well-known Cornerian engineer.

"What's the word?" CJ asked.

"I hate to say we haven't found much." Peach said.

"Haven't found much is still better than haven't found anything." Shaylene said.

"We've had our tech experts working almost constantly." Bowser said. "And the best we've come up with is that the people hunting you are working on secure servers."

"VERY secure servers." Slippy said.

"Anything more than that?" CJ asked.

"Sir, we've got something more." A Goron said.

"What is it?" CJ asked.

"We may have found a back door into the ADA's servers." The Goron said.

"Impressive." CJ said. "Work on it. Find the other Sages."

"Yes, sir." The Goron said.

"Bowser and I have officially declared the Mushroom Kingdom as a safe haven for all Catalysts." Peach said. "Any Catalysts seeking refuge from the United States government and the ADA are more than welcome within our borders."

"And I'll talk to the higher ups here on Corneria." Peppy said.

"Who exactly _are_ the Cornerian higher ups?" CJ asked.

"Commander-in-Chief Pepper and Prime Minister Boxer." Peppy said.

"Commander-in-Chief?" CJ asked.

"Head of the Cornerian Army is also Cornerian Head of State." Peppy said. "Pepper stepped down as General of the Army, handing the position to me, but stayed in place as Head of State. Prime Minister Boxer is Head of Government."

"Thank you." CJ said.

"MetaKnight, what about on Dream Land's side?" Shaylene asked.

"I'll talk to King Dedede, but I make no promises." MetaKnight said.

"Sonic? Tails?" CJ asked.

"We'll talk to President Grey." Sonic said.

"Good." CJ said. "Thank you all for your help. Have the ADA begun mobilizing their forces in your countries?"

"No." Peach said. "Bowser and I have told the U.S. that their forces are not allowed on Mushroom Kingdom soil."

"No sign of them on Corneria yet." Peppy said.

"If they've assembled in Dream Land, Dedede is doing a lot of work to hide them." MetaKnight said.

"I haven't seen any signs of them here yet." Sonic said.

"Sir, we've cracked into the ADA's servers." A Gerudo said.

"What have you found?" CJ asked.

"We found the locations of the other Sages." A Goron said.

"Perfect." CJ said. He turned back to the video conferences with the other nations. "Keep me updated. I'm going after the rest of the Sages." He motioned to the Hyruleans and they cut the feeds with the other nations. "Where are they?"

"The Sage of Water is at a facility near Boston, Massachusetts." A Zora said.

"The Sage of Wind is in a facility outside of New York City." A Kokiri said.

"The Sage of Earth is in a facility in Washington, D.C." A Goron said. "And the Sage of Fire is near Atlanta, Georgia."

"The Sage of Spirit is near Miami, Florida." A Gerudo said. "The Sages of Forest and Ice are being held together at a facility near Houston, Texas."

"Thank you." CJ said. He turned to Shaylene. "We'll start in Boston. Free Stacey. Then we'll work our way down the coast. Aubrey in New York, the Alex in D.C., Janelle in Atlanta, your sister in Miami, then we'll head over to Houston for Dayan and Danielle."

"Sounds like a plan." Shaylene said.

"After we've all reunited, we'll track down Agent Hale and we'll finish this." CJ said.

* * *

 _So that was it. We had our plan. Water, Wind, Earth, Fire, Spirit, Ice, Forest. Then we find Agent Hale and save all Catalysts._

 _Of course, nothing ever goes to plan…_

* * *

A few days later, CJ and Shaylene were standing on a hill outside of Boston, overlooking a large warehouse-like building.

"Now comes the tough part." CJ said.

"Tougher than helping me recover and heal?" Shaylene asked.

"Did recovering and healing involve breaking into a secure government facility and rescuing a super human?" CJ asked.

"Good point." Shaylene said. "Shouldn't we have an army or something for this?"

"We're already being hunted." CJ said. "Running in full force with an army isn't going to end well. And given that the only army we can gather is from the other worlds, provided the government has knowledge of those worlds, we'd basically be declaring war on the United States."

"So what do we do?" Shaylene asked.

"The only thing we can do." CJ said. "We go in with stealth." He pulled out a pair of binoculars from the backpack next to him and began scanning the area. "Two guards at the entrance and two patrolling. One patrolling clockwise and one counterclockwise."

"So you're telling me that getting in is going to be impossible." Shaylene said.

"Difficult. Not impossible." CJ said. Shadow energy began to form in his hands and came together to form his crossbow.

"You gonna shoot your way in?" Shaylene asked.

"More or less." CJ said. He held up an arrow with a flat rubber tip. "These arrows aren't lethal, but getting hit by them will hurt like Hell."

"What's that going to do other than piss the guards off?" Shaylene asked.

"It's not the arrows." CJ said. "It's the power. I've infused them with magic. Magic that will knock out whoever I hit. If we do this right, we'll be raiding a facility filled with unconscious guards."

"Do you have enough arrows for that?" Shaylene asked. CJ lifted his crossbow, aiming toward the right side of the building. Shaylene watched as CJ fired an arrow, striking the guard walking counterclockwise and knocking him out. He focused and the arrow was pulled back to him.

"Yes. Yes I do." CJ said, reloading his crossbow and firing at the clockwise guard.

"Ok. _That_ was pretty cool." Shaylene said. "What about the guards in front?"

"That's going to be a bit trickier." CJ said. "As will the inside of the facility."

* * *

 _Getting to the facility where Stacey was being held was the easiest part of the mission. Taking out the patrols was the second easiest. Everything after that was going to be a lot of work. Prior to departing for Boston, my workers in Hyrule were able to gather intel on every facility we were raiding. Most of them were the same. An old warehouse in an isolated area of the city or on its outskirts, with two guards at the front door and two patrolling guards walking the perimeter in opposite directions._

 _The inside was the hardest part. Aside from the cameras fixed on the main entrance, the inside was crawling with guards and filled with cameras. Inside was a single cell, located in the center of the building. I presumed that these warehouses were set up relatively quick as a way to isolate the nine of us. From what I gathered, each cell was constructed differently, designed to withstand each Sage's power._

 _The facility outside Boston held a watertight cell. Reinforced multi-pane glass formed the walls of the cell. Designed to keep Stacey and her water in, built to withstand close to 16,000 psi. I'm not even sure how they built something to withstand that kind of pressure… out of glass. Nor do I think Stacey's powers could produce that kind of water pressure, but clearly the ADA wasn't taking chances. Breaking the cell open wasn't an option. If I could incapacitate the guards and steal the keys, it would be easiest way to free her._

* * *

"According to the intel, there are fifteen guards inside." CJ said. "Along with a cell designed to withstand water pressure stronger than the Marianas Trench. I'm not sure our magic could break the cell open. We're going to need to take down the guards and steal their keys."

"You think they actually have keys?" Shaylene asked. "If Hale really wants to isolate us, why would she even bother giving her lackeys a way to open the cells?"

"Because if there's ever an emergency, I'd assume she'd want her guards to transport her prisoners to other facilities." CJ said.

"So how do we break in?" Shaylene asked.

"First, I'll need to disable the cameras at the entrance, then take out the guards out front." CJ said. "After that, we'll tackle the inside of the facility. When I say so, you take out the cameras."

"How?" Shaylene asked.

"A blast of light magic. Make it strong enough and it'll overexpose the video feed. All security will see for a short amount of time is a white screen. Long enough for me to take out the guards and us to get inside." CJ said.

"And the cameras inside?" Shaylene asked. "If there are any."

"We'll already be inside." CJ said. "It's a single room warehouse. It won't matter if there are cameras, we'll be spotted as soon as we walk in."

"So… Two of us against fifteen guys with guns?" Shaylene asked. "I don't like those odds."

"You can sit this one out." CJ said. "I'll go in alone if you don't want to."

"That's not what I said." Shaylene said. "And besides. If you go in alone and the guards don't kill you, Stacey will the minute you break her out. And I'll kill you if she doesn't." CJ chuckled.

"Yeah. You're not wrong." CJ said.

"So what kind of weapons are we looking at?" Shaylene asked.

"Federal Agents." CJ said. "So the standards. M4, MP5, maybe some shotguns and probably some kind of handguns."

"You call that kind of an armory _standard_?" Shaylene asked.

"Well, SWAT standard." CJ said.

"SWAT?!"

"Yeah." CJ said. "This is an 'Anti Bio-Terrorist CIA/FBI Joint Task Force'. So… they're probably armed like SWAT. If they're not armed with worse."

"What the Hell could be worse?" Shaylene asked.

"Our friends' powers." CJ said.

"Shit. Fair point." Shaylene said.

"If we go off the assumption that Hale is like Augustine, she's probably passing on the powers she steals to her agents." CJ said.

"Awesome." Shaylene said, her voice brimming with sarcasm.

"I told you that you can sit this one out." CJ said.

"With everything that's inside? Hell no." Shaylene said.

"Good." CJ said. "You ready?"

"Ready's a bit of a stretch." Shaylene said.

"On my go, hit the cameras. I'll take out the guards." CJ said. "Move fast enough once we're inside, and we can take out a few guards before they swarm us. Three… two… one… Go!" Shaylene threw two orbs of light toward the building, blinding the two cameras on opposite sides of the entrance. As she did, CJ fired two arrows, taking down the guards. The two immediately rushed down the hill and approached the door.

"Key card access." Shaylene said, noticing the card reader next to the door.

"I got it." CJ said, grabbing a key card from one of the guards. He swiped it and the door unlocked. He opened the door and the two quickly slipped inside. The inside of the facility was a large open room with two catwalks surrounding the perimeter, four guards on each – one at each wall. In the center of the room was a large cell with four glass walls and a handprint scanner on one of the walls. Four guards surrounded the cell, and three guards were patrolling the room. The guards on the highest catwalk were armed with M4A1s. The guards on the lower catwalks were armed with MP5s. Each patrolling guard carried a 10mm handgun, and the cell guards were seemingly unarmed. Reacting fast, CJ fired several arrows in rapid succession, disabling the guards on the upper catwalk.

"Close your eyes." Shaylene said. CJ followed her advice and she filled the room with a bright white flash, blinding the guards. "You're good." CJ opened his eyes. "I blinded the guards."

"Damn. Good thinking." CJ said. One by one, he armed his crossbow and fired a series of Shadow-charged rubber-tipped arrows, disabling the catwalk and patrolling guards.

"It's the Dark-Light Duo!" One of the remaining guards shouted.

"The Dark-Light Duo?" CJ asked. "I kinda like that."

"Get 'em!" The guards' hands began to glow light blue and a wall of ice stretched from the floor to the ceiling.

"Well…" CJ said. "I expected that."

"So do we blast our way through?" Shaylene asked.

"I gotta pee. Are you gonna let me out?" Stacey's voice was heard from the other side of the ice wall.

"Shut up!"

"Ooh, ice wall. It's so shiny." Stacey said.

"I said shut up!"

"Can you make it snow?" Stacey asked. "I take my ferret out in the snow sometimes. I like the snow. I love my ferret. I wonder what she's doing right now. Oh no… She's probably going crazy without her mama! I gotta get home!"

"Jesus Christ, bitch! Can you be quiet for five minutes?!"

"Do penguins have knees?" Stacey asked.

"What the Hell is Stacey doing?" Shaylene asked.

"I'm guessing these guys haven't been giving her any of her medicine." CJ said. "Including the ADHD meds."

"You wanna see pictures of my dog?" Stacey asked. "He's a Chocolate Lab. His name's Luke. He's so derpy, but he's a baby."

"Somebody open that cage and shut her up!"

"Hi CJ!" Stacey said, as the ice wall vanished. "Did you meet my new friends?"

CJ sighed and began rubbing his forehead. "Yup. She's off her ADHD meds. Do the thing please." CJ closed his eyes and Shaylene released another blinding flash of light.

"What the fuck that's bright!" Stacey shouted. CJ knocked out the first guard with an arrow, the second with a blast of Shadow magic, and Shaylene knocked the third out with a blast of Light magic.

"Wait for it… Wait for it." CJ said. The final guard finally regained his vision.

"Son of a bitch!" He shouted. He aimed his palm at CJ's feet and they became encased in ice. He walked over and held his gun to CJ's temple.

"Really? You gonna shoot me? Your boss wouldn't like that." CJ said. Taking his visual cues, Shaylene stepped back, creating distance between her and CJ.

"If I tell her you wouldn't shut up, I don't think she'd be that upset." The guard said.

"Are you sure about that?" CJ asked. "I'm pretty sure I'm her prized target." Shaylene looked at CJ's feet and saw steam coming off of the ice.

"Kid, I'm not afraid to get court-martialed for killing you." The guard said.

"Court-martialed?" CJ asked. "So, Hale pulled in military too? Well, you're not very good. Two civilians knocked fourteen of you unconscious. Must be weekend soldiers!"

"I said shut up!" The guard said. In his anger, he pulled his gun back a bit. Reacting fast, CJ grabbed the guard's arm, pointing the gun away from himself. The gun fired, right next to CJ's ear, and a bullet whizzed past his head.

"Fuck that's loud!" CJ shouted. "How do they do that in movies?!" Ear still ringing, CJ broke his feet free and kicked the surprised guard in the knee with enough force to break it, causing him to fall to the ground. In the process, CJ wriggled the gun free from the guard's hand and pointed it at the injured guard.

"You kill me, and it's going to rain Hell on your head, kid!" The guard said.

"Lucky for me, I don't plan on killing you." CJ said. He walked over to the cell where Stacey was held.

"Hi!" Stacey said. "These guys didn't tell me if penguins have knees. Do penguins have knees?"

CJ sighed. He examined the handprint scanner on the cell.

"Damn. Hale's not playing around." CJ said.

"Yeah." The guard said. "That handprint scanner uses the magic signature of a person as its lock. Good luck getting it without ice powers."

"So if I slice off your hand and put it on the scanner, it'll get me in. Is that what you're saying, Mr. Freeze?" CJ asked.

"You think dismembering a U.S. soldier is a smart idea, Bio-Terrorist?" The guard asked.

"Of course not." CJ said, lifting one of the unconscious guards and dragging him to the cage. He placed the guard's hand on the scanner and a hidden door built into the wall opened. "I'll just use your friend."

"You're not getting out of here." The guard said.

"I think we are." CJ said. "Hun, take these. Please." He tossed Stacey a pill bottle filled with a variety of pills. He then turned to the guard. "All of your friends are unconscious and you're unarmed." He waved his shiny new handgun. "I think walking out won't be an issue." He walked over to each of the patrol guards, grabbing their handguns and any ammo they had. He then headed toward the door, with Stacey and Shaylene in tow.

"You won't get away with this!" The guard said, as CJ opened the door and the girls walked out before him. "Agent Hale will make you pay!" CJ walked out, smirking as the door shut behind him.

"Was stealing a gun from a soldier really a good idea?" Shaylene asked.

"Of course not." CJ said. "But we're already fugitives. And we just broke a CIA prisoner out of a secret facility just outside of Boston. I'm not worried about being a law-abiding citizen at this point."

"So, what now?" Stacey asked.

"You're not the only person we need to save." CJ said. "We're off to New York to rescue Aubrey."

"My trophy wife's in trouble?!" Stacey asked.

CJ sighed. "Yes." He said.

* * *

 _So, that was it. We had saved the first one of our friends. One down, six to go. And we got a taste of what was waiting for us at each facility. A small army of guards, probably a mix of federal agents and soldiers, and a cell designed to withstand the full force of the Sage trapped within it. And to top it off, it looked like the guards in each facility had a different Sage's powers, and the locks on the cells were designed to only be unlocked by that Sage's aura._

 _Of course, the fatal flaw in Hale's plan is that she put guards in each facility with the same magic needed to open the cell. An insurance plan, I suppose. If the facility needed to clear out in a hurry, the guards could open the cell and haul away the prisoner without needed Hale to show up._

 _The other fatal flaw was she went after the women I loved. By imprisoning one and by imprisoning both of their sisters. Jennette may have been pissed at me, but she was still one of my best friends, and her sister means the world to me._


	4. Chapter 4

A few days later, CJ, Stacey and Shaylene stood in a park in Fort Lee, New Jersey, on the banks of the Hudson River, not far from the George Washington Bridge.

"So what's the plan?" Stacey asked. "How are we saving my trophy wife?"

"Well, she's being held on a secret facility on South Brother Island." CJ said. "It's just east of Rikers Island."

"So... what? Are we taking a ferry out there?" Shaylene asked.

"Nope." CJ said. "Once we get to the shore near the island, we're swimming a half mile out there."

"I'm sorry, we're what?" Shaylene asked.

"Swimming." CJ said. "You didn't hear that wrong."

"Of course I didn't." Shaylene said.

"The island is decently wooded, so that should provide some form of cover while we work our way to the facility." CJ said.

"Yay! Water!" Stacey cheered.

A short time later, CJ and the girls climbed onto the shore of a small, wooded island. They worked their way into the woods and a small warehouse soon came into view.

"Same as Boston?" Shaylene asked. CJ created a small portal of darkness next to him, reached in and pulled out his backpack. He reached into the backpack and pulled out a tablet.

"Looks like it." CJ said, scanning the blueprints of the building. "Fifteen guards inside. One room. A cell in the center."

"How is this one built?" Shaylene asked.

"Built to stand up to 500 MPH winds." CJ said. "Hurricane Katrina or the strongest tornado on record could hit this thing and it would stay standing."

"So how do we free my trophy wife?" Stacey asked.

"Well, if the facility is built like yours, the guards inside should be armed with some type of magic that will open the cell." CJ said. "Of course they'll also be armed with the same armory that the guards in your facility had. And I'd be willing to bet that they've beefed up security since-" A gunshot suddenly rang out and whizzed to the left of CJ's head. "Snipers! Find cover, quick!" The three quickly ducked deeper into the woods, behind a couple of rocks.

"What was that?" Stacey asked.

"Snipers." CJ said. "As I was trying to say before we were shot at, they've probably increased security since your jailbreak." He peeked over the rock, prompting another gunshot, this one whizzing past the top of his head. "An idea that's supported by the sniper support atop this facility."

"So… now what do we do?" Shaylene asked.

"We form a new plan of attack." CJ said.

"What about that weird portal thing you did with your backpack?" Stacey asked.

"Or that vanishing into the shadows thing you did when training me?" Shaylene asked.

"Both great ideas." CJ said. "Problem is, disappearing into the shadows won't do anything about the snipers."

"And the portal trick?" Shaylene asked.

"That… might be worth a shot." CJ said. He created a small portal next to him. "Get on the opposite side of that." Shaylene and Stacey took his advice and moved to the other side of the portal.

"So, you can't enter it from both sides?" Shaylene asked.

"Nope." CJ said. "It has a front and a back." Standing up, he fired a blast past the snipers and it opened into a second portal. He stepped to the side of the portal and two gunshots rang out. The three Sages watched as two bullets rushed out of the portal. "Yup. Had a feeling they'd do that." Reacting quickly, he closed the portal near himself.

"So that's not gonna work." Stacey said.

"Nope." CJ said. "But this might." He stood up, quickly firing off two blasts of magic, which each struck one of the snipers. The snipers stumbled and one of them fell into the portal still open on the roof.

"Where does that portal lead?" Shaylene asked.

"Nowhere." CJ said. "I guess it's comparable to purgatory. Anything or anyone that goes into one of those portals gets stuck in a sort of limbo that can't be exited without the second portal."

"So you're going to let a government agent get trapped in a purgatory-like state?" Shaylene asked.

"Of course not." CJ said. He turned and fired a blast of magic toward the water, which opened to create the second portal. The three watched as the sniper fell through the portal and into the water. "Ok. Now we have to move." He gathered energy into his hand, forming his crossbow.

"I want a crossbow!" Stacey said.

"Hun, not now." CJ said. "We need to deal with these guards."

Shaylene gathered energy into her hands as well, forming a simple bow. Light energy gathered on her back to form a quiver filled with golden arrows.

"Shoot to kill?" She asked.

"I'm trying to do this with as few lives lost as possible." CJ said. "Think of it as a Good Karma playthrough of inFamous."

"So, shoot to disable?" Shaylene asked.

"Shoot to disable." CJ said. He fired an arrow, striking the second sniper in the lower chest. "Ooh, that definitely broke a rib or two." Shaylene fired two arrows in rapid succession, disabling the two cameras focused on the entrance. CJ fired off two Shadow Blasts, knocking out the two guards patrolling the perimeter. "Stace, can you get the two by the entrance? Try that new technique Agent Hale… taught you."

"You got it." Stacey said. She focused her energy on the guards, immobilizing them as she took control of the water in their bodies. "This feels wrong…"

"Just remember why we're doing this." CJ said. "It's to save Aubrey and the rest of our friends."

"I know… But it still doesn't feel right." Stacey said. CJ focused his energy, materializing two more arrows in his hand.

"I'll take them out if you don't want to." CJ said. Stacey released the two guards, who quickly raised their MP5s. Without hesitation, CJ fired off the two arrows, the magic force knocking both guards unconscious. He looked up to the roof and saw the other sniper struggling to stand and get back into position. "Make a break for it, girls. You're going to hear gunfire. Just keep running until you're inside, and then get Aubrey out."

"Wait what?" Stacey asked.

"What about you?" Shaylene asked.

"Just do it." CJ said. "Don't worry about me. I can handle myself."

"Let's just do what he says." Stacey said. "He's got this." The two girls made a break for the door. As they neared the door, a sniper shot rang out.

"Son of a-!" CJ cried out, followed by several gunshots. The girls stopped and turned around.

"CJ!" They both exclaimed. As they stopped, the sniper stared down the scope of his gun, focusing the crosshairs on Stacey.

"God damnit! Go!" CJ shouted. He fired a few more shots toward the roof. Hearing a cry of pain above them, followed by a sniper bullet whizzing past them, the two took the cue to run toward the door. As they got there, Shaylene pulled an ID card off of one of the door guards and swiped it, allowing the girls to enter the facility. Meanwhile, CJ ducked behind the rocks and tore a strip of cloth off of his shirt. He wrapped it around the decent-sized gunshot wound in his upper arm, tying it in a knot and pulling it tighter with his teeth.

Inside, Stacey and Shaylene found themselves in a large room much like the one Stacey had been in only a few days earlier. Like the other facility, there were two catwalks each holding four guards, four guards at the cell walls and three guards patrolling the room. Unlike the other warehouse, this facility looked more like a greenhouse on the inside than a warehouse, almost as if the facility had been built around the woods, rather than cutting them down.

"I'd wager dollars to donuts that Aubrey's cell is sealed with Danielle's magic." Shaylene said.

"What kind of donuts?" Stacey asked.

"What?" Shaylene asked.

"It matters." Stacey said.

Shaylene sighed. "Coconut." She said.

"Gross." Stacey said.

"Can you shut up and take cover behind one of those trees?" Shaylene snapped.

"All right, jeez. You don't have to yell at me." Stacey said. The two girls quickly ducked behind the two closest trees. Shaylene pulled out her bow, firing several arrows at the guards on the highest catwalk, who were all armed with sniper rifles. Each guard dropped as the arrows struck them in the shoulders. "I thought CJ said keep the body count low."

"They're not dead." Shaylene said, firing four more arrows at the guards on the lower catwalks. "These arrows work similar to the rubber-tipped ones CJ's been using. Except these ones shock upon impact. Kinda like a taser."

"Ow." Stacey said, as the guards dropped. "That sounds uncomfortable."

"It might be." Shaylene said, dashing to cover behind another tree closer to the cell. Stacey followed suit.

"Freeze, Bio-Terrorist." One of the guards said, grabbing Stacey and placing his handgun against her temple.

"No thanks." Stacey said. She focused her energy and the guard found himself slowly moving his gun down until he had the barrel pressed against his own thigh.

"Wh-what's going on?" He asked. "I can't control my arms!"

"You and your buddies are going to stand down and let us do what we came to do." Shaylene said, walking over bow drawn and ready to fire. "I assume you all have Forest magic. Or at least your four friends by our friend's cell do."

"Y-yes…" The guard said.

"So here's how this is going to work." Shaylene said. "One of you is going to open that cell with your powers and let us walk, or my friend here is going to forcibly use the water in your bodies to control you and make you help us. And trust me, which way you help us determines whether or not we walk out of a warehouse full of dead government employees or a warehouse full of unconscious government employees."

"If we help you, even if you spare us, we're dead!" The guard said. "Agent Hale won't let a mistake like this go unpunished!"

"So what's it going to be?" Shaylene asked. "You help us willingly, or you help us by force? If you help us, we can see about protecting you from Agent Hale. Then you have a chance of living. Choose not to help us and, well…" She slid her index finger across her neck.

"Ok, ok! We'll help! Open the cell boys!" The guard shouted. One of the cell guards walked over to cell and placed his hand on the handprint scanner. His hand began to glow green and a section of the cell wall vanished. Aubrey stepped out and was quickly met by Stacey and Shaylene.

"Trophy wife!" Stacey said, hugging Aubrey, while simultaneously freeing the guard she had been holding captive. Every conscious guard in the facility drew their guns, all focused on the three girls.

"Agent Hale made it clear." One of the guards said. "None of the Primary Catalysts are to be let free. And if the last two show up, capture them by any means necessary. As long as they're kept alive. In the cell, all of you." The cell guards swarmed the three girls and shoved them into the cell, sealing it with their Forest magic.

Outside, CJ was still taking cover behind the rock, gun focused on the roof.

"Something's not right…" He mumbled. "They should be clear by now." He scanned the entrance to the facility. Noting the still unconscious guards, he made a break for the door, surprisingly unopposed by sniper fire. He reached the door and entered the facility. Once inside, he immediately noticed Stacey, Shaylene and Aubrey in the cell in the center of the room.

"Yes Agent Hale, we recaptured the water girl. And we've captured the light one as well." One of the guards said. "We're working on capturing their lead-" The guard's words were cut off as several gunshots echoed throughout the warehouse. The girls watched as the guard fell and dropped his phone, a gunshot wound in his head. The other guards surrounding the cell did the same.

" _Agent Harris? Agent Harris, are you there?"_ Hale's voice echoed through the phone. Several more gunshots rang out as the remaining guards and CJ engaged in a fire fight. CJ took a bullet to his already injured shoulder and planted one in the head of the three guards. He walked over and grabbed the phone on the ground.

"Agent Harris can't come to the phone." CJ said. "He's… busy."

" _What did you do to my agents?"_ Hale asked.

"Some of them are still alive." CJ said.

" _Those were government agents and soldiers."_ Hale said. _"You have no idea what kind of Hell is about to rain down on you and your friends."_

"Ooh sorry. Going through a tunnel, can't hear you." CJ said, hanging up. He walked over to the cell and placed his hand on the scanner. His hand gave off a green glow and the cell opened. The girls walked out as a shockwave rippled through CJ's body and he dropped to his knees.

"CJ!" Stacey and Shaylene quickly reacted, helping him stand, and the four exited the warehouse.

"What happened to 'keep the body count low'?" Stacey asked.

"I saw you and Shay in the cell with Aubrey and I… lost my temper, I guess." CJ said.

"We need to get out of here before the rest of the guards wake up." Shaylene said. "Especially now. You just killed seven government agents. And not in self-defense."

"Agent Hale's gonna pull out all the stops to put a kill order on my head." CJ said. "Let's go."

* * *

 _May 4, 2015_

 _It's been close to a week and a half since we broke Aubrey out of the facility in New York. We're back in Hyrule while I've been recovering from my gunshot wounds. And to get out of Agent Hale's reach._

 _I was right. My guys have been monitoring U.S. intelligence chatter. As far as the alphabet soup of government agencies is concerned, I'm to be shot on sight. The order hasn't been passed down to Sheriffs, state or local law enforcement. Just federal agencies. Not even the military has been the given the shoot on sight command._

 _Agent Hale said Hell was gonna rain down on me. And she wasn't lying. Thankfully, since it doesn't seem to have gone lower than the feds, I may be able to clear my name assuming I can stop whatever Agent Hale is planning. Of course, I have no idea how I'm going to get anywhere near the rest of my friends…_

* * *

CJ, Stacey, Shaylene and Aubrey sat at a small table in an underground facility below Hyrule Castle.

"What do we do now?" Shaylene asked. "You're not just a wanted Bio-Terrorist criminal anymore. Now you're wanted for killing government agents."

"I know." CJ said. "And there's no good defense I can even come up with to get out of it. I just lost my cool and attacked."

"How do you plan on getting out of this one?" Stacey asked.

"I don't." CJ said. "We focus on getting the rest of our friends out of Hale's facilities. Prove that Catalysts aren't the dangerous threat she's presenting them as. Of course, if footage of the inside of that facility gets out, she's going to have a stronger case on her hands."

"What do you mean 'I don't'?" Shaylene asked.

"Exactly what I said." CJ said. "I don't plan on getting out of this one. We free the other Sages, show the world that all Catalysts aren't monsters, and I go down for the crimes I've committed. It's only right."

"No, it's not." Stacey said. "You were saving us."

"I attacked first." CJ said. "I killed seven federal agents in cold blood. It's time I get what's coming to me. Besides, at this point, my sins are just piling on top of me. There's so much before this that should've brought me down. I am exactly what Hale is painting us as. A monster. A terrorist."

"Don't say that!" Aubrey said. "No you're not!"

"What about Pandora?" CJ asked. "What about Jack? I nearly let him destroy an entire planet. I nearly let him kill Shaylene… Jennette was right. You were all right. I am letting the darkness blind me." Shaylene slapped CJ, leaving a bright red mark on his left cheek.

"Shut up!" She snapped. "You're wrong! You're not a monster! You're sweet, kind, caring, protective… You're my best friend. And I'm not letting this take you down."

"But…"

"But nothing." Stacey said. "As much as I hate to say it, Shaylene's... right." She hesitated on that last word. "You can't give up. We'll fight this. Until the bitter end."

"Yeah." Aubrey said. "Even if it means we all go down with you."

CJ couldn't help but smile. "Really?" He asked.

"Damn straight." Shaylene said. "I'll follow you to the ends of the earth."

"Me too." Stacey said. "Through thick and thin, for better or worse."

"We're not even married yet." CJ said.

"So?" Stacey asked. "Do we have to be married for me to stick with you through whatever?"

"No… but you guys shouldn't put yourselves in danger for me." CJ said.

"Stop it." Shaylene said. "Stop moping and acting like you deserve to go down for this."

"Shay… I _killed_ people." CJ said.

"Back on Pandora, we all did." Shaylene said.

"But that was to survive." CJ said.

"Listen." Shaylene said. "Who defended me from someone who was draining my magic and making me weak? Who fought off an attacker who tried to rape me? An attacker who turned around and said that my most attractive quality was my virginity? Who has not only helped me stand up for myself, but has unthinkingly and without hesitation stood up for me and protected me? Who has, more than once, used some sort of magic to surrender the life _he_ wanted because it meant improving _my_ life? Who has been constantly willing to sacrifice everything for _my_ well-being? Who broke me out of a fucking hospital so that the government wouldn't throw me in a cell like a prisoner?"

"…Me." CJ said, looking down at his feet.

"You're damn right you did." Shaylene said. "So why in the Hell would you think that we wouldn't stick up for you when you need it? That we wouldn't defend you? That _I_ wouldn't do everything in my power to protect _you_? You're our friend, CJ. We'll find a way out of this."

"Thank you." CJ said. "But you really don't have to do this."

"We're not doing it because we have to." Shaylene said. "We're doing it because we want to. Ok, _I'm_ doing it because I want to. I don't know about these two." CJ chuckled.

"I'm doing it because I'm not about to let this slut one-up me." Stacey said. "And because I love you."

"Oh, _and_ because you love me?" CJ asked. "So I guess one-upping 'this slut' is more important?"

Stacey chuckled. "Duh." She said. CJ laughed.

"Then let's go." CJ said. A Gerudo then walked in.

"Sir." The Gerudo said.

"What is it?" CJ asked.

"Our situation has changed." The Gerudo said. "Please come with me." The Gerudo led CJ and the girls into the room with the monitors.

"What's the news?" CJ asked.

"The remaining Sages have been moved, Your Majesty." A Kokiri said.

"The Sage of Earth has been relocated to Quantico Marine Base." A Goron said. "And the Sage of Fire has been relocated to Eglin Air Force Base."

"The Sage of Spirit has been moved to Mayport Naval Station." A Gerudo said.

"The Sages of Ice and Forest have been moved to Fort Sam Houston Army Base." A Zora said.

"Lovely." CJ said. "Marines, Air Force, Navy and Army. Hale's involved the major military branches. And moved the rest of the Sages onto their bases."

"Now what?" Shaylene asked.

"Hell if I know." CJ said. "Our friends are being guarded by government agents and military personnel on secure military bases around the States… The U.S. Government wants my head on a silver fucking platter… I have no idea what to do."

"Simple. We storm the bases and get our friends back." Aubrey said. "We kick ass, take names and save the day."

"Right." CJ said. "Four superhumans… Four 'Bio-Terrorists' against the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force, FBI and CIA. Who, I might add, have their own 'Bio-Terrorists' in their ranks."

"We can take 'em." Aubrey said. "I've got the coffee, you've got the knowledge of all of the powers, Stacey's got the crazy and Shaylene's got the spunk."

"Three problems." CJ said. "One: We'd be shot dead before we could even attempt to use our powers. Two: I'd like to get through this _without_ increasing the body count. And, of course, three: Like we've established more times than I'm comfortable with, Uncle Sam's got a kill order on my head. I'm not stepping out of Hyrule without being captured, and probably killed, by the government."

"Yeah, but Hyrule's still sort of… y'know… in the middle of our hometown." Shaylene said. "We're still technically within the U.S. You said it yourself. The _government_ is hunting you. Not local cops, not Sheriffs, not state police. Chances are we won't be touched unless we set foot near a government building or military base."

"You're looking too deep into this." CJ said. "Hale's made a call-to-action. Asked the public to turn in any Catalysts they encounter. Have you forgotten that?"

"No, but…"

"And that video… in the park. It outed me as a Catalyst, remember?" CJ asked. "I know none of you want to believe it, but it's over. At least for me. No matter what, I'm walking away from this war either dead or spending the rest of my life in Gitmo."

"No!" Shaylene said. "We'll find a way! We'll save you!"

"I don't think we can, Shay…" CJ said. "I really don't think we can…"

* * *

 _I knew it hurt. I knew what I told them had broken both Shaylene and Stacey's hearts. I was done. It was over for me. I had killed federal agents. Government employees. In cold blood. In a blind rage. Nothing I could do was getting me out of what was coming._

 _As far as the United States Government was concerned, I was two things. One: some kind of super human biological terrorist, guilty of setting off devices worldwide that spread some kind of chemical agent into the air and creating more 'Bio-Terrorists'. And two: I was a murderer. Guilty of killing federal agents. Guilty of cold, straight murder. I couldn't claim self-defense on any of the dead bodies in that warehouse in New York._

 _The only one I could claim self-defense with was the snipers on the roof. One had likely swam to the banks of the East River and disappeared, and the other was probably in a hospital, recovering from a few non-fatal gunshot wounds to the shoulder and arm._

 _I was only going one of two places after this was done… A six-foot deep hole in the ground, or good old Guantanamo Bay._


	5. Chapter 5

CJ stood in a cemetery, near a pair of plaques in the ground. A basket of flowers sat behind both the plaques. CJ looked down at one of the plaques in particular.

" _Ralph Francis_

 _Sgt. U.S. Air Force_

 _Vietnam_

 _Apr 17 1949 – Feb 3 2011"_

Not far behind CJ, sitting in a silver car, were Shaylene, Stacey and Aubrey. Stacey was sitting in the front passenger seat, and Aubrey and Shaylene were in the back seat.

"I'm sorry, Dad…" CJ said. "I know if you were here, you'd be beyond disappointed in me. You'd be pissed at me. I'm a killer. I'm a monster… I'm a freak with freakish powers. Everything the government says about people like me is true." By this point, Shaylene had walked up behind him.

"No." Shaylene said. "You're not. You did what you had to do. This is war."

"No it's not, Shay." CJ said. "This is different. I could've disabled those guards. I didn't have to kill them."

"Bullshit." Shaylene said. "You and I both know that those guards would've captured all of us. It was one against seven. We're not letting you go down for this. _I'm_ not letting you go down for this."

"Shay… There has to be a line." CJ said. "You guys need to distance yourself from me. Take Stacey and Aubrey to the Mushroom Kingdom. It's safe there. The U.S. can't come after you there."

"Come with us." Shaylene begged. "Please! Peach and Bowser will protect you!"

"I need to get the other Sages out of the government's hands." CJ said.

"No! It's one man against a country!" Shaylene said. "You'll die!"

"I'm dead or in prison regardless." CJ said. "There's no coming out of this for me. But there's still life for you and Jennette. For Stacey and Janelle. For Aubrey. For Alex. For Dayan and Danielle."

"It's not a life without you." Shaylene said.

"She's right." Stacey said, walking over to the two.

"What Alex said to you six months ago in the park was wrong." Aubrey said. "You're our friend. Those Sages still trapped by Agent Hale and her agency… They are our friends. We will rescue them. We _will_ find a clear your name. If it means we all have to flee to another country like the Mushroom Kingdom, we will."

"Maybe we can even find a way to move Hyrule." Shaylene said. "All the other worlds came into existence as new landmasses. Maybe we can do the same to Hyrule." She held up her hand, aglow with the Triforce of Wisdom. "We have the Triforce. Right here. Right now. Besides… We belong there. We're Sages. You and Stacey are the King and Queen. Hyrule is our home now."

"No." CJ said. "If it fails, you all go down with me. I'm not letting that happen."

"Listen to me." Shaylene said. "If we move Hyrule to its own landmass, we go public. With all of it. The other worlds, the creatures, everything. You and Stacey's roles as King and Queen. All of our roles as Sages."

"We do that, and it turns into an international incident." CJ said. "The government has outed Catalysts as criminals. 'Bio-Terrorists', remember? We go public with the other worlds, and the fact that every single one of them is offering safe haven for all Catalysts, as well as the fact that one of those nation's leaders killed U.S. federal agents, and it turns into World War Three. With the United States declaring war on Hyrule, the Mushroom Kingdom, Corneria and the United Federation. I can't have that happen."

"We'll find a way!" Shaylene exclaimed.

"I don't know if there is a way." CJ said.

"There has to be." Shaylene said. "Hale must have a central command. Somewhere where she's hiding. Somewhere where she's getting all the security footage from where she's keeping our friends. If we can find that place and get into her security footage, we can get the video of the sniper shooting at us first. Maybe we can convince the world that we were defending ourselves."

CJ sighed. "It's clear I can't talk you guys out of this." He said. "Let's just free our friends. After that, we'll figure out some kind of plan to protect you and all other Catalysts."

" _And_ clear your name." Shaylene said.

CJ sighed. "And clear my name…" He repeated reluctantly.

"That's better." Shaylene said. "Now let's go."

About a week later, CJ and the girls stood in a wooded area along the edge of a river. Across the river was an airfield, a series of buildings, and what looked like a school.

"There it is." CJ said, pointing across the river. "Quantico Marine Corps Base. Of course, getting in is the hard part."

"So how do we do it?" Shaylene asked.

"Well… the obvious choice is swimming across the Potomac." CJ said. "Doing that would get us to the airfield across the way, and I'd be willing to bet that Hale is holding Alex in one of the hangars. But that's about a two-mile swim."

"What if he's not in one of the hangars?" Aubrey asked.

"We still need to cross the Potomac to get to the base." CJ said. "We're dealing with that two-mile swim regardless."

"What about those Shadow portals you made back when in New York?" Stacey asked. "Can't we use those to cross the river?"

"It's a stretch, but it's worth a shot." CJ said. He created a portal next to the girls, and then focusing his energy, he fired a blast across the river, forming a second portal on the shores near the airfield. He clutched his amulet and the girls felt energy leaving their body. "Sorry… I need to leech a little energy off of each of you. That drained me more than I expected it to."

"Do what you have to." Aubrey said. "We need to save Alex, and we can't do that if you're not at full strength."

"Especially if our exit plan is the same as our entrance plan." Shaylene said.

"Then let's do it." CJ said. The four stepped through the shadow portal and emerged near the airfield, hidden behind a small airplane. CJ pointed to a nearby hangar. Perched atop the roof were four snipers. In front of the hangar, guarding the entrance, were a pair of Marines. "If I had to venture a guess, I'd say that's our hangar."

"This _is_ a Marine base, though." Shaylene said.

"Why would they have Marines guarding the entrance _and_ snipers on the roof?" CJ asked.

"Worried about a break in?" Stacey asked.

"That would suggest something valuable inside." CJ said. "Either a something or a _someone_."

"Like Alex." Aubrey said.

"Exactly." CJ said.

"So now the important question." Aubrey said. "How do we get in and rescue Alex?"

"That _is_ the question of the hour." CJ said. "Four snipers posted on the roof, two guards out front, and probably more guards inside. And given where we are, I'd expect FBI, CIA and Marines."

"That's one Hell of a force to get through." Shaylene said.

"I told you guys that you didn't have to do this." CJ said.

"Yeah, but we told you that we _do_." Shaylene said.

"Fine." CJ said. He reached into his backpack and pulled out four small Bluetooth earpieces. He handed one to each of the girls and held on to the fourth. "Take these. They'll allow us to communicate with each other." He pulled out his phone, syncing it with the earpiece and dialed a number.

" _Yes, Your Majesty?"_

"I need blueprints for Turner Field, as well as live satellite thermal imagery." CJ said. "I have reason to believe that the Sage of Earth is being held in a hangar here."

" _Sending them to your phone now, sir."_

"Thank you." CJ said. He pulled out his phone, first pulling up thermal imaging of the airfield. He immediately pointed to the hangar with the snipers on the roof. "Bingo. See this?" He showed the images to the girls. "Four snipers on the roof, two guards out front, and it looks like at least ten inside." He switched over to the blueprints. "As I expected. It's not a hangar. That particular building is a warehouse, just like the other holding facilities, modified to hold a Catalyst."

"So, same plan as all the others?" Shaylene asked.

"No." CJ said. "Not after New York. We need a different approach. Hale knows we're going after each facility. Hence the snipers in New York and the move to military bases following Aubrey's break out."

"What's the plan then?" Aubrey asked. "We can't just leave Alex in there."

"And we're not." CJ said. "But we can't just run in full offensive like we've done in Boston and New York. We need to be more tactical. We're not just up against federal agents, but we're up against trained United States Marines. This is a very delicate mission." He looked around, scanning the airfield. "A distraction. That's it. We need to pull some of the attention, and some of the guards, off of the facility."

"And just how are we going to do that?" Stacey asked.

"We're already criminals." CJ said. "We blow up a plane."

"I'm sorry… We _what_?" Stacey asked.

"You heard me." CJ said. "We blow up a plane. The explosion is likely to pull some of the guards away from the warehouse."

"And what if it doesn't?" Shaylene asked. "What if an entirely different team responds? Or worse: What if they call in _more_ guards to the warehouse?"

"Well… In that case, we come up with a new plan." CJ said.

"So… how exactly do we blow up an airplane?" Shaylene asked.

"Well… Given that none of us are exactly packing bricks of C4 in our pockets, we may need to take a magic approach." CJ said. "So, we have one of two options. Option one: I can use my stolen handgun to puncture a hole in the gas tank and then tap into Janelle's powers to ignite and blow up the plane. Option two: Shay, you can use heavy magic and strike it with a bolt of lightning, which should have relatively the same effect."

"One way or another, one of us is using more magic than we probably should." Shaylene said.

"Pretty much." CJ said.

"Or there's option three." Stacey said. "Don't blow up the plane at all."

"I'm not a fan of option three." CJ said. "Unless you have a better idea for a distraction."

"Yeah." Stacey said. "We send someone in as a decoy to distract the guards while the rest of us break Alex out."

"Are you suggesting that one of us puts ourselves at risk of being captured so we can lure the guards away and free Alex?" CJ asked.

"Yes." Stacey said, pointing at Shaylene.

"Hell no." CJ said. "Look, if you guys don't want to blow up the plane, then we'll have to take the offensive plan, which means four of us using magic against a bunch of Marines, CIA Agents and FBI Agents, who probably have the same powers as one of our friends. Possibly one of us. And that's a suicide mission."

"I don't want to blow up a plane." Stacey said.

"Then what exactly do you suggest we do?" CJ asked. A loud crackle filled the air, followed by a loud explosion. Everyone turned and saw a nearby plane in flames. On the ground, her breathing labored, was Shaylene.

"I had to." Shaylene said, in between deep breaths. "We needed a distraction. And you guys weren't deciding on a plan."

CJ sighed. He looked around the airfield and saw Marines scrambling toward the burning plane. He checked his phone, scanning the thermal images of the warehouse.

"Well, that somehow worked." CJ said. "Half the guards left the warehouse. I still count the four cell guards and the three inside patrol guards."

"The snipers aren't trained on the explosion though." Aubrey said.

"Let me handle that." CJ said, as energy gathered in his hand to form his crossbow. One by one, he armed and fired four arrows, knocking out each of the snipers. As they were hit, the girls watched as rings of shadow energy pinned them to the roof.

"That's a new trick." Shaylene said.

"Not new. Just haven't used it up until now." CJ said. "Come on. Let's move. While they're all distracted by the fire." The four rushed across the tarmac and into the warehouse. Once inside, they noticed the four guards standing around the cell and the three patrolling guards. They scanned the inside of the warehouse and noticed pews and candles scattered about, as well as a large cross hanging on the back wall. CJ and the girls quickly ducked behind a pew before the guards could notice them. Shaylene reached toward CJ's waist, causing him to shift back. Stacey slapped her hand.

"Hands to yourself!" Stacey snapped.

"Shay, what the Hell are you doing?" CJ asked.

"See our surroundings?" Shaylene asked. "Gimme the gun. These assholes have Jennette's powers. I'm gonna kill them."

"Like Hell you are." CJ said. "I'm already in hot water for doing that when you and Stacey got nabbed back in New York. I'm not letting you make the same mistake here. There's an easier way to do this. Stacey, Aubrey, close your eyes."

"Why?" Stacey asked suspiciously.

"Remember when we broke you out?" CJ asked.

"Shit. Yes." Stacey said, closing her eyes tight. Aubrey followed suit.

"Shay. Do the thing." CJ said, closing his eyes. Shaylene focused her energy and a bright white flash filled the room.

"Damn! I can't see!" Alex shouted from his cell. CJ opened his eyes and armed his crossbow. Shaylene gathered energy in her hands, forming her bow.

"Go!" CJ shouted. He focused on the cell guards while Shaylene took out the patrols. Before long, seven guards lay unconscious on the floor; three were bound to the floor with rings of light and four were bound with rings of shadow. Alex regained his vision as CJ and the girls rushed over to the cell.

"How did you guys get in here?" Alex asked.

"Shay blew up a plane and distracted the guards." CJ said. "I took out the snipers on the roof."

"You're not going to be able to break that lock open." Alex said. "That government woman built this cell to be able to withstand earthquakes higher than magnitude 10. She absorbed my powers and sealed the lock with a different kind of magic."

"I know." Shaylene said, freeing one of the unconscious patrol guards. She dragged him over to the cell and placed his hand on the scanner. His hand gave off a white glow and the cell opened. Shaylene let go as soon as the cell opened and dropped the guard to the ground, using her magic to bind him down again. "That bitch sealed your cell with my sister's magic."

"I'm glad you're okay." Aubrey said.

"So they have Jennette too?" Alex asked.

"Not just Jennette." CJ said. "Janelle, Dayan and Danielle as well. They had Stacey and Aubrey before Shay and I freed them."

"You two were the only ones they didn't capture?" Alex asked.

"Thanks to Stacey." CJ said. "I'll explain more once we're out of here. That fire isn't going to keep them occupied for too long, and Uncle Sam's got a kill order on my head."

"What?" Alex asked

"I'll explain that too." CJ said. "Right now, we need to get out of here." One of the guards' cell phones started ringing. Against his better judgment, CJ picked it up and looked at the caller ID. He answered it with a smirk. "Agent Hale, how's it going?"

 _"Where's Agent Lane?"_

"He can't come to the phone right now." CJ said. "He's all tied up."

" _You're just digging yourself a deeper hole at Gitmo."_

"Sorry, going into a tunnel. Can't hear you." CJ said, hanging up. "I love doing that." He fired a shadow blast at the wall, which opened into a portal. "Let's go." Alex and the girls stepped into the portal. CJ held his hand out and the portal began to close. He jumped through as it vanished. A few seconds later, the five Sages emerged on the banks of the Potomac River opposite the base.

"Now what?" Stacey asked.

"We just blew up a plane, attacked Marines and federal agents, and broke someone out of a holding cell on a military base." CJ said. "If Hell wasn't already going to rain down on us, it sure will now." CJ's cell phone then began to ring. "Hello?"

" _Your Majesty, we intercepted a phone call meant for you from Langley."_

"Patch it through." CJ said.

" _Sir, are you sure?"_

"Very." CJ said. He smirked as the call was transferred through. "Good evening. This is CJ."

" _Yes, I'm very aware of who I'm calling."_

"Good. Problem is, I'm not aware of who I'm talking to." CJ said. "I know you're from Langley, and I know you're not my buddy Hale. So who are you?"

" _My name isn't important. I know you broke your friend out of his prison in Quantico."_

"You're right." CJ said. "I did. So, did someone pull Hale off the 'Bio-Terrorist' assignment? Are you her replacement?"

" _Again, who I am is not important. You, however, have burned one too many holes in one too many places. Almost everyone up on the Capitol wants your head."_

"Well, maybe when I'm finished with my job, I'll send a special gift to the President." CJ said before hanging up.

"Did… you just hang up on the CIA?" Shaylene asked.

"I've made more than enough enemies in Washington." CJ said. "One more won't hurt."

"It might." Alex said.

CJ shrugged his shoulders. "Eh. Whatever." He said.

"You're way too calm about pissing off all of D.C." Alex said.

"He's come to term with the fact that this is all ending with him either six feet under or in Gitmo." Shaylene said. "I'm trying to tell him that he's… fucking insane!"

"Ok, I'm _definitely_ lost." Alex said. "Someone want to fill me in?"

"After the incident in the park, Stacey and I went to the hospital to see Shay. While we were there with her, we saw a news broadcast showing us a viral video of Jennette's attack in the park." CJ said. "We also witnessed a statement from CIA Agent Alyson Hale, stating that the CIA and FBI had formed a joint task force known as the Atlas Defense Agency. She talked about Catalysts, deemed 'Bio-Terrorists' by the government. She accused the fight between me and Jennette to be staged. Claimed it was a call-to-arms for other Catalysts. Said that we set up explosive devices around the world that released a chemical agent into the air that gave other people powers."

"That's bullshit." Alex said. "Does the government honestly believe that?"

"I have no idea." CJ said.

"Also, that doesn't explain why you think all this ends either with you dead or in a U.S. prison reserved for war criminals and terrorists…" Alex said.

"I'm getting to that." CJ said. "In her statement, Agent Hale asked all citizens to contact authorities on any 'Bio-Terrorists' they encountered. Knowing that the viral video outed me as a Catalyst, I made the choice to… break Shay out of the hospital."

"I'm sorry… You what?" Alex asked.

"Yeah. I broke Shaylene out of a hospital." CJ said. "However, as we got out of the hospital, Hale was waiting for us. Bragged about capturing everyone else. Everyone except me, Shaylene and Stacey."

"I know we were captured." Alex said. "I was there."

"No shit, Sherlock. Thanks." CJ said. "How did she do it by the way?"

"FBI Agents at gunpoint." Alex said.

"Same." Aubrey said. "Said they knew about what we were and we needed to come with them."

"I wasn't exactly going to fight cops." Alex said.

"Right. As I was saying, Hale confronted us when we exited the hospital. Bragged about capturing you guys and taking your powers. Attacked us with your, Jennette's and Janelle's powers. Stacey tried to take her out with a water spear as soon as she found out Janelle had been captured. Hale evaporated the spear effortlessly, then restrained Stacey with a spiritual clone of herself. She then pinned me under a slab of concrete." CJ said. "She then took Stacey's powers and used the water in our bodies to control us. Stacey managed to fight back with the same technique, allowing me and Shay to escape."

"That's how I was caught." Stacey said.

"That was November…" Alex said. "How did it take six months to get me out of here?"

"After Stacey got us time to escape, Shay and I fled to Hyrule." CJ said. "Behind the magic barrier that separated it from the surrounding U.S. territory, we were safe. We took refuge in the forest. It took close to four months in hiding to heal Shaylene. Physically, mentally, spiritually. Another month to track everyone down. The plan was to work down the coast. Stacey in Boston, Aubrey in New York, you in D.C., Janelle in Atlanta, Jennette in Miami, and D and D in Houston."

"Let me guess. Breaking Stacey and Aubrey out is the reason these people moved me here to a Marine Base?" Alex asked.

"Yeah." CJ said. "Following… the incident in New York, the ADA moved you and everyone else to military bases."

"Incident?" Alex asked.

"We got to the facility were Aubrey was and found that the security was stronger than the Boston facility. Snipers on the roof." CJ said. "I managed to hold off the snipers while Stacey and Shaylene went in to save Aubrey."

"That what happened to your arm?" Alex asked, referencing the bandage on CJ's upper arm.

"Yes. Sniper hit me." CJ said. "Not a big deal."

"Kinda sounds like it." Alex said.

"Nah. Now, as I was saying, Stacey and Shay went in to save Aubrey." CJ said. "But they hit a snag inside. They subdued some of the guards and convinced the still conscious ones to free Aubrey. However, once they opened Aubrey's cell, the guards turned on them and locked them all up. I knew something was up, so I went in. Once I got inside and saw all three of the girls locked up, I… lost my cool."

"How 'lost' are we talking?" Alex asked.

"I… shot and killed seven of the guards." CJ said.

"You _killed_ seven federal agents?!" Alex asked.

"Yeah." CJ said. "I lost my temper. Like I said, dead or Gitmo."

"And like I said. He's _fucking insane_." Shaylene said. "I've told him countless times that I'm not giving up on him. I'm helping him rescue our friends and I'm helping him clear his name. He's not a monster. He's not a cold-hearted murderer. And most of all… He's not consumed by his darkness."

Alex stood there, silent for a moment, before taking a deep breath. He looked at Aubrey, who was looking down toward her feet.

"Sorry… about that." Alex said.

"I know." CJ said. "Let's just go. We have to save everyone else."

* * *

 _Stacey… Aubrey… Alex… I had saved three of my friends. Now there were five of us._

 _But four among our ranks were still being held captive by the ADA. And I still had no clue how I was getting out of either being killed by the government or thrown in prison. But I had to save my friends. It was my responsibility. If I hadn't trusted Jack back on Pandora, maybe this situation wouldn't have happened._

 _Alex may have forgiven me. Aubrey may have forgiven me. But I still hadn't forgiven myself. I wasn't sure I would ever forgive myself for killing government employees._


	6. Chapter 6

CJ and the others stood in the woods not far from a highway intersection. Power lines buzzed overhead. In the distance was a large building. On the front of the building was the U.S. Air Force seal, and various aircraft sat outside.

"Eglin Air Force Base." CJ said. "Hale's getting tougher. She must be getting closer to her endgame. Moving Janelle here was a last ditch effort."

"How do you figure that?" Alex asked.

"Aside from the Sage being held prisoner here being my future sister-in-law?" CJ asked. "Easy. Dad was stationed here."

"Oh." Alex said.

"Hale already knows I'm less than stable emotionally." CJ said. "She's playing on that."

"And you still want to go through with this?" Shaylene asked.

"Yes." CJ said. "I do. That building ahead of us… The Air Force Armament Museum. According to my intel, Hale has turned the museum into a prison for Janelle."

"I have a question." Aubrey said. "Why split us all up? Why not just place us all in one single prison?"

"Because, there's a chance she doesn't have that kind of facility." CJ said. "Or she's buying time for something. And, on the chance of that second situation being true, we need to move quickly. The sooner we rescue everyone, the faster we can track Hale down and end all this."

"I have a question." Stacey said.

CJ sighed. "Okay, what is your question?"

"Do the guards in here have lesbian magic?" Stacey asked. CJ slapped his hand against his forehead.

"Sure. Whatever." CJ said.

"Ignoring the Hell out of… that… How do we get in there?" Alex asked. "Look at the place. It's guarded to the teeth." CJ scanned the museum. Perched atop the roof were eight snipers, two on each side. In front of the door were two guards, and several guards could be seen patrolling outside.

"Yeah… That's going to be significantly more challenging." CJ said. He pulled out his phone.

" _Your Majesty?"_

"I need thermal imagery for the Air Force Armament Museum. Eglin Air Force Base, Florida." CJ said.

" _Right away sir."_ CJ hung up. He grabbed his phone and waited for the connection. As soon as it was available, he scanned the images.

"Ok. So aside from the eight snipers on the roof, two door guards and the six patrolling guards outside, we have the usual four cell guards inside, as well as eight patrolling guards. Six guards on the upper level and Janelle's cell in the middle of the museum." CJ said. "Now, when we go inside, we need to do this carefully. There's a lot of history in that building."

"Didn't you blow up a plane back at Quantico?" Alex asked.

"No. Shaylene blew it up." CJ said. "I played with the idea but never officially decided on it."

"So how are we going to do this?" Aubrey asked.

"Good question." CJ said. "There's too many snipers to take out with arrows. And if we go after the patrol guards, we'll only take out a few of them before the others realize we're here. Stealth may not be an option, but loud and proud isn't a safe choice either."

"That means we have no options." Alex said.

"Well, there's always the option of playing innocent and acting like we're here to visit the museum." CJ said.

"That doesn't exactly sound like a good idea." Shaylene said. "You're a fugitive. And chances are we all are too. Another distraction?"

"I'm not about to blow up historical aircraft so we can break out Janelle." CJ said. "Sorry, Stacey. We need to figure out a new plan of-" He looked and saw Stacey focusing on something. "Stacey?"

"You need. To go. Now." Stacey said, still focusing. "While you can." He turned his attention to the building and saw the guards weren't moving.

"No." CJ said. "We'll need you inside. Shay, shock arrows."

"You got it." Shaylene said, as she and CJ pulled out their archery weapons. CJ focused on knocking out the ground guards, while Shaylene went after the snipers. Within a few moments, all outside guards were subdued and Stacey could relax.

"Let's go." CJ said, leading everyone toward the museum. "Remember, once inside, keep any attacks tight. We don't want to damage the exhibits." CJ opened the front door and everyone walked inside, soon finding themselves in a large warehouse-like structure filled with various aircraft and other military equipment. In the center of the room was another cell, and inside was a familiar short-haired brunette girl.

"There she is." Stacey said, controlling the cell guards and subduing them with her power. CJ and Shaylene quickly took down the upper level guards with a combination of light and shadow, leaving only the patrolling guards, who all had their guns trained on the Sages.

"Nobody move!" One guard said. Suddenly, the guards were all encased in rock from the neck down. Everyone looked and saw Alex focusing his powers.

"Pulling something out of the Augustine playbook?" CJ asked.

"Yeah, except I didn't use concrete." Alex said. Suddenly, the guards broke free. "Ok… that's a problem."

"The guards all have your magic, Alex." CJ said. "Shit! Watch out!" Everyone dove to the side as one of the guards threw the wing of an airplane at them. "How dare you?!" A wave of energy rippled out of CJ, pinning all of the guards to the floor with a binding of shadow magic. He then walked up to one of the guards, pressing his foot down on the guard's throat.

"Please…" The guard coughed. "Don't…"

"You just damaged a piece of history." CJ said. "Just to go after a small group of people that someone higher up than you called threatening. A group of people who are targeted simply for being different."

"You're… targeted… because you're terrorists… You detonated bombs around… the world." The guard struggled to speak. CJ lifted his foot.

"The fact that you believe that without question is appalling." CJ said. "You signed up to protect this country, but you'll turn your guns on anything Washington deems as threatening. Without a thought as to whether or not they really are. You're not a soldier. You're a monkey, trained to obey without a thought of his own."

"Show some respect, boy!" The guard said. CJ stepped on his throat again.

"Listen here. I have a lot of respect for military." CJ said. "I have a lot of respect for anyone who will put their life on the line for the cause of fighting for the good of the United States. Or any country, for that matter. As a matter of fact, my father was stationed on this very base. Both my parents were. But you… Look at you. You're no different than us. Except that your powers were forced on you by Hale. You're all Catalysts, just like us. And yet, you believe the spoon fed bullshit from the government that we're monsters. Are you a monster?"

"I'm a necessary piece in a war on terror." The guard said. "I'll fight the enemy by any means necessary! Even if it means I have to become the enemy!"

"And what do you think is going to happen when 'the enemy' is contained?" CJ asked. "You think the government is just going to let you walk? Let you resume your normal work as a soldier? Of course not. You're one of the 'freaks'! They'll lock you up or kill you just like us. You're not a necessary piece in a war. You're a _pawn_. In the government's powerful _game_." He turned to Alex. "Get that cell open. We're done here."

"You got it." Alex said. He walked over to the cell and placed his hand on the scanner. His hand gave off a brown glow before the cell opened. Janelle rushed out and ran over to hug Stacey.

"You won't get away with this, boy!" The guard shouted as the Sages walked toward the exit. "Your crimes will catch up to you!"

"We'll see about that." CJ said, as the door closed behind him.

"What now?" Shaylene asked.

"We rescue your sister." CJ said.

Meanwhile, Agent Hale walked into a room in a large government facility somewhere in an unknown location. Sitting in a cell in the center of the room was Jennette.

"Where am I?" Jennette asked. "Where have you taken me?"

"Where you are isn't important." Agent Hale said.

"Let me out!" Jennette shouted. She tried to gather energy into her hands, but nothing happened. "What the-?"

"That cell you're locked in suppresses spiritual energy." Agent Hale said. "You're not getting out anytime soon."

"Where are my friends? Where is my _sister_?" Jennette asked, biting anger in her voice.

"She's in our custody." Agent Hale said. "Somewhere far from you. And your buddy, CJ… He can't even be bothered to save her. See for yourself." Agent Hale pulled up a video on a projector on the wall of the room.

 _CJ walked into a small warehouse. He tossed a flash grenade on the floor, blinding the guards. One by one, he fired an arrow from his crossbow, taking out the guards on the catwalks. Suddenly, a wall of ice blocked him from the cell where Stacey was. CJ appeared puzzled for a few moments, and the ice wall suddenly vanished. CJ threw another flash grenade, took out the first three guards and then held the fourth at gunpoint. He and the guard struggled over the gun, causing it to go off near them. CJ grabbed the gun, pointed it at the guard and walked over to the cell. He then dragged an unconscious guard over to the cell and placed his hand on the scanner. A few moments later, he handed something to Stacey, waved his stolen gun around and the two walked out._

"Stacey was the first person he rescued." Hale said. "And we have this." Hale then showed Jennette a picture of CJ, Alex, Aubrey, Stacey and Janelle walking out of the museum at Eglin. "This was taken only a couple of hours ago. Almost a month after he broke Stacey out."

"Where the Hell is my sister?" Jennette asked.

"Don't worry." Hale said. "She'll be fine as long as you cooperate. There's more." Hale began to play more footage.

 _CJ walked into a facility filled with trees. Locked in the cell were Stacey and Aubrey. CJ fired several shots, killing the guards around the cell, and taking a hit or two as well. He then walked over, placed his hand on the scanner and freed the girls._

"This was in New York after we recaptured Stacey." Hale said. "Your friend was willing to kill my men to save her, but he couldn't even be bothered to track down your sister, who was only a few miles away at a facility in New Jersey. He just kept going down the coast. Rescued Alex in Virginia and Janelle in Florida."

"What do you want from me?" Jennette asked.

"Simple." Hale said. "You help us rid the world of your friend CJ. Of course, even if you don't help us, we'll still kill him. The only difference is that if don't help us, we'll also kill you, your sister, your friends and every other Catalyst in the world."

"I… I need to think about it…" Jennette said.

"Fine." Agent Hale said, walking out.

A few hours later, CJ, Alex and the girls were standing somewhere on a golf course. Across the street was a naval base. CJ had his phone out and was scanning thermal images.

"Weird…" CJ said. "Thermal scans show no sign of heat in the warehouse that Jennette's supposed to be in." CJ's phone began to ring. He quickly answered it. "Go."

 _"Sir, we have a major update."_

"What is it?"

" _We've been monitoring chatter on the other three Sages. It appears that the Sage of Spirit has been relocated to a facility in the Mojave Desert. As for the Sages of Ice and Forest, we cannot pinpoint their locations at this time."_

"Thank you. Keep working…"

"What's up?" Shaylene asked. "Whoa…"

"Guys. What are we whoa-ing about?" Alex asked. Suddenly, a sharp pain rushed through Alex's body. "Ow. Shit what was that?"

"So you felt it too?" Aubrey asked.

"So did I." Stacey said.

"What's going on?" Janelle asked.

"Our connection to a fellow Sage has been severed." CJ said. The pain rippled through everyone's body again. "Make that two Sages…"

"Oh no… Jennette…" Shaylene gasped. Aubrey and Stacey began to glow. A sudden beam of green light struck Alex, followed by a light blue light striking Stacey.

"Okay, I just felt a weird surge of power." Alex said.

"Me too." Stacey said.

"It's not Jennette." CJ said. "It was Dayan and Danielle."

* * *

 _That was it. It had become personal now. No longer was I on a mission to just save my friends. Regardless of how we may have gotten along with each other… or not gotten along… Dayan and Danielle were my friends._

 _Agent Hale had made one too many mistakes. Capturing my friends was one thing. But she had killed not just one, but two Sages. With Ice and Water now both in Stacey's arsenal, and Forest and Earth in Alex's, I was done playing around._

 _I knew Jennette was somewhere in the Mojave Desert, and chances are that Hale was there as well. It was time to free Jennette and bring an end to this. No matter the cost…_

* * *

"Freeze, Bio-Terrorists!" The group looked around and saw a group of Navy SEALs approaching them from all directions.

"Shit… We're screwed." CJ said.

"No." Shaylene said. "We all fight back and try to escape."

"We can't." CJ said.

"Yes we can." Aubrey said. "We have to."

"There's ten of them and six of us." Alex said. "We're outnumbered."

"Alex, I didn't know you could count that high." Stacey joked.

"Not the time." CJ said. "If you guys are planning to attack and escape, we need a plan fast."

"Guys, make a Secret Service formation." Shaylene said.

"A secret service formation?" Janelle asked.

"Surround the king!" Shaylene said.

"What?" CJ asked. Everyone surrounded CJ.

"Everyone take the SEALs at your own 11 and 1." Shaylene said. "Referring to myself at 12 o'clock… Alex, take the pair at 2 and 3. Aubrey, the SEALs at 4 and 5. Stacey, go for the pair at 6 and 8. Janelle, get the two at 9 and 10. I'll get the guys at 11 and 1. Everyone ready?"

"Um… no?" Stacey asked.

"Everyone go after the two closest SEALs." Shaylene said, shaking her head.

"Are you calling me stupid?" Stacey asked.

"Just shut up and defend your man!" Shaylene shouted.

"Wait… what?" CJ asked.

"As soon as we attack, you run." Shaylene said.

"I'm not leaving you guys." CJ said.

"You need to!" Shaylene said. "You can track Jennette down. You can rescue all of us again. I know you can."

"What if Hale kills you guys?" CJ asked.

"This isn't up for debate!" Shaylene said. "You're running!"

CJ sighed. "Okay…" He said.

"Everyone, go!" The five Sages rushed toward the SEALs. Each one fired a blast of magic at one of the SEALs and then rushed the second. In the midst of the fight, CJ vanished into a shadow portal.

* * *

 _Following Shaylene's brave leadership and the teamwork and sacrifice of my friends, I returned to Hyrule. I couldn't waste time. I got to work having Hylian intelligence track down Jennette. Fortunately, as we tracked down Jennette, we learned that the others had been taken to the same facility._

 _A facility in the Mojave Desert. Known by many names. Groom Lake, Homey Airport, Dreamland, Paradise Ranch, Home Base, Watertown. But most commonly known as Area 51._

 _So here I was. A wanted criminal. A 'Bio-Terrorist freak'. A murderer. A fugitive. And I was about to break into arguably the most secretive, restricted military facility in the United States._

* * *

Agent Hale walked into Jennette's chamber in Area 51.

"Have you made a decision about your friend?" Hale asked. "Or should I say 'former friend'?"

"I… I don't know." Jennette said. "He's… He's my sister's best friend. She loves him. And I know he loves her too."

"Let me show you just how much he loves her." Hale said. Jennette watched as a video was projected on the wall.

 _CJ, Alex and the girls, now including Shaylene, rushed into a warehouse. Laying in the cell in the center were Dayan and Danielle's lifeless bodies. The Sages attacked the guards, taking most of them down. In the process, three guards rushed in, capturing Alex, Aubrey and Janelle and vanished. CJ circled the facility, planting a bullet in the skull of each guard. He then walked over to the girls and shot Shaylene in the chest._

Hale cut the video and turned to Jennette, whose eyes were beginning to water.

"Your so-called friend CJ… Your terrorist friend CJ… Not only shot all of my guards in Houston, but he shot your sister." Hale said. "He shot the woman you claim that he loves, so no one would come between him and that girl Stacey. Does that sound like love?"

Jennette wiped her eyes. "…No."

"So, I assume you've made a decision?" Hale asked.

"He needs to die." Jennette said.

"Good." Hale said.

* * *

 _May 27, 2015_

 _This is it. I've tracked all my friends to Area 51. I've armed myself to the teeth, and I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to stop Agent Hale, her ADA and save my friends._

 _Even if it means I have to die or go to Gitmo. I don't care what the girls have said. If I have to fall for my crimes, I will. I've committed too many to keep escaping them._

* * *

CJ lay on a hillside, not far from Area 51, staring down the scope of a sniper rifle. He aimed the rifle, focusing the crosshairs on a guard at the entrance to the base. He pulled the trigger, and the bullet exploded as it neared the guard, releasing a wave of electricity that worked much like a powerful Taser, shocking and knocking the guard unconscious. Before the second guard had time to react, CJ gifted him with the same fate. He collapsed the sniper rifle, slipped it into his pack and rushed down the hill. As he neared the gate, a group of FBI, CIA, Marines, Army soldiers and Navy SEALs rushed toward him.

"Get out of my way!" CJ shouted, unleashing a powerful wave of dark energy. The wave struck the full force of soldiers, rendering all of them unconscious. CJ walked toward a building not far from the entrance. He focused his energy, clutched his amulet and launched a large fireball at the wall, blasting it open. He walked into the building and found Stacey, Alex, Aubrey and Janelle sealed in cells.

"Smoogie!" Stacey exclaimed.

"Everyone stand back!" CJ said. The other four Sages stepped to the backs of their cells. With a rush of energy, CJ fired several blasts of energy at the cells, smashing them all open. The doors to the facility opened and Agent Hale, Jennette and a team of CIA Agents walked in. The agents immediately sealed the other Sages using light magic.

"Mr. Francis…" Agent Hale said. "Assaulting Area 51 and breaking out Bio-Terrorists. You're not a smart man, are you?"

"I'm an angry man." CJ said, drawing his handgun. "You've hurt my friends. You've spread lies about Catalysts. Now, let Jennette go and tell me where Shaylene is."

"Shaylene is dead!" Jennette shouted.

"Wh-what?" CJ asked. He became surrounded by dark energy and rushed Hale, pinning her to the ground. "What did you do?!"

"Don't act innocent, you piece of shit!" Jennette shouted, throwing CJ to the side and pinning him to the wall with spirit energy. "It wasn't enough to corrupt my sister, turn her to a government killing terrorist like yourself and breaking her heart. You had to kill her too?!"

"I… I didn't… I didn't kill her…" CJ said. "How dare you accuse me of that? You know better! I love Shaylene! I would never hurt her!"

"All you've done since you were on Pandora is hurt her!" Jennette shouted.

"That's a lie!" CJ said. "And you know it!"

"Now now. Is that any way to talk to the United States President?" Agent Hale asked.

"The _what_?" CJ asked.

"People like you are a plague on our country, CJ." Jennette said.

" _Our_ country?" CJ asked. "You're a Sage! Your country is Hyrule!"

"A country that only exists because of Bio-Terrorists. People like you. Subhuman freaks." Jennette said. "Monsters. Devils. Demons. Sources of fear. And you… the ultimate monster. A murderous freak, leading the charge of demons."

"Have you forgot what you are?" CJ asked. "You _are_ a Catalyst. You are the very thing that you're calling a monster! You and Agent Hale both! And the majority of her agency!"

"Agent Hale and her agency are fighting freaks with freaks. And I've been appointed to lead the charge." Jennette said. "I've been placed at the head of the country to wipe out this threat. To save humanity from the Hell that Bio-Terrorists will bring!"

* * *

 _Despite everything I had worked for... Everything I had done... Time traveled not once, but twice... I still couldn't prevent the future. As Captain N, I traveled back and tried to mold my younger self into the savior I couldn't be. And then, fearing having to choose between my lover and my best friend, I traveled back in time again, to stop my older self from causing an early onset of my powers._

 _I succeeded in a way, killing Captain N before he could cause the fight between Stacey and Shaylene, but I still carried out his plan to cause an early onset of my powers._

 _And now, I stood here, watching as Jennette was molded into the country's leader... molded by a government set on the destruction of all those with powers... I saw Captain N's future unfolding decades earlier than it would have... and I was still faced with the terrifying choice I traveled through time to avoid._

 _Someone had to die... And I didn't like any of my options. I could kill Jennette, but I would lose one of my best friends. Or worse, Shaylene would step into her sister's shoes and eradicate all others with powers, myself and Stacey included... If I killed Stacey, Shaylene and I could make a life together and potentially quell Jennette's rage, but I'd still have the threat of Hale and the ADA..._

 _My best two options were kill Agent Hale and try to free Jennette from whatever brainwashing the ADA had done to her... Or kill myself and hope that my friends could stop the ADA and save Jennette..._

 _There was no easy way out of this..._

* * *

"And what will you do when we're all wiped out?" CJ asked. "What about the Catalysts in the government?"

"We'll do what we have to." Jennette said. "We'll end the last of the Bio-Terrorists. Once the threat is dealt with, we'll finish the job. We'll protect humanity by ending ourselves."

"This isn't like you." CJ said. "What has Hale done to you, Jennette?"

"She opened my eyes." Jennette said. "To the monster you are."

"What will this accomplish?" CJ asked. "This won't bring Shaylene back."

"Thank God." Stacey said.

"Stacey. Shut up." CJ said.

"NO! You shut up!" Jennette said. "You're not our boss! You can't order us around like slaves! Your tyranny must end!" Jennette charged a blast of magic and fired at CJ. An explosion rocked the building and as smoke filled the room, Agent Hale slipped out.

"What the Hell, Jennette?!" The smoke died down and Jennette's eyes widened at the sight of Shaylene, standing in front of CJ, a light barrier protecting both of them. She snapped her fingers and the restraints around the other Sages vanished. As they were freed, all of the Sages unleashed attacks, knocking out the CIA team.

"Damnit…" Stacey mumbled.

"S-Shay?" Jennette gasped. "H-how are you…"

"Alive?" CJ asked.

"That bitch played you!" Shaylene snapped. "Let me guess… She told you that I was never rescued, right?"

"Yeah. And I can't forgive CJ for that!" Jennette said.

"But she also told you that he shot and killed me after rescuing me…" Shaylene said.

"…In Houston. Yeah." Jennette said.

"We never made it to Houston." Shaylene said. "We felt Dayan and Danielle get killed while we were in Florida. In Jacksonville. Outside the Navy base where we _thought_ you were being held. And then we were swarmed by Navy SEALs. We held off the SEALs, allowing CJ to escape."

"She… tricked me?" Jennette asked. "I'm going to kill her!"

"No." CJ said. "We need to force her hand. We need her to admit to everything. The lies, the captures, the hypnotism, the fact that she herself is the very thing she's telling people to fear. We need to reveal the existence of the other worlds. The peacefulness of Catalysts."

"But how?" Jennette asked.

"It'll be challenging, but not impossible." CJ said. "But first…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out 4 green crystals, handing them to Alex, Aubrey, Janelle and Stacey. "Use these. Go to Hyrule Castle. Stay there. Shay, Jennette and I will end this."

"No." Stacey said. "I'm staying too."

"No." CJ said. "I want you to go. This is personal."

"Fine." Stacey said. "But tell that slut to keep her hands to herself." She, Alex, Aubrey and Janelle vanished in a flash of green light.

"So, how are we going to do this?" Shaylene asked.

"I want you two to find the security office." CJ said, pointing to the cameras in the room. "I'm going to draw Hale back here. And I'm going to expose her to the world."

"Got it." Shaylene said.

"Call me once you reach it." CJ said. The girls rushed out. Within a few minutes, CJ's phone rang.

" _We're in. We can see you."_

"Audio?" CJ asked.

" _Loud and clear. Good old government surveillance equipment."_

"Good." CJ said, hanging up. He walked over to one of the unconscious guards and grabbed their radio. "Agent Hale… Let's settle this. Once and for all." Within a few moments, Agent Hale walked back into the building.

"Ready to turn yourself in?" Agent Hale asked.

"Not quite." CJ said, rushing forward, hands glowing with shadow magic. He and Hale were soon locked in hand-to-hand combat, with her using light magic to counter him. He smirked as he struck her in the stomach with his palm. Hale grunted and stumbled back.

"I'm impressed." Hale said. "No friends. You really are willing to go down for the chance to save all of them." She kicked him in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

CJ struggled to stand, smirking. "I'm willing to go down for the chance to stop you. You're not walking away from this." He rushed forward and swung at Hale. As he missed, she grabbed his arm.

"Going to kill me, murderer?" Hale asked. She punched him in the face, knocking him down.

CJ laughed. He stood up, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and spit out blood. "Hardly." He said. "All I need to do is show the world the truth." He fired a blast of shadow magic at her. She quickly dodged it and formed a bow in her hand, firing a Light Arrow that embedded itself in CJ's shoulder. He cried out in pain as he dropped to a knee.

"Ooh, did that sting?" Hale asked. "And just what truth are you going to expose? That I'm a Catalyst like you? That I used my powers to convince the government into going after other Catalysts? That I lied to the world, accusing a small group of young adults of setting off bombs around the world? Bombs that released a chemical agent into the air?"

"Don't forget killing the President and brainwashing a Catalyst into turning on her own friends." CJ said. In the security office, Jennette's blood boiled.

"The people will never believe that." Hale said. "I'll paint the picture that a group of small town Bio-Terrorists attacked a defenseless government facility, murdered the President, and assaulted a group of government agents."

"Government agents that were also Catalysts." CJ said, standing up.

"I'll call them prisoners." Hale said. "Bio-Terrorists working for the FBI and CIA in exchange for some freedom. Prisoners that I'll say you tried to free entirely." In the midst of all this, CJ started laughing. "Just what is so funny?"

"My friends have been here all along." CJ said. "Jennette and Shaylene, anyway." He pointed to the cameras. "They've had your security cameras focused on our fight. This whole time."

"So?" Hale asked. "I'll edit the footage. Paint you as the bad guy. I'll get away as a hero."

"Except they've been broadcasting the footage worldwide." CJ said. "The entire world has heard everything you've done and watched as you exposed your plan to manipulate the world into believing I'm the bad guy."

"You bastard!" Hale shouted. She rushed toward CJ, surrounding by a wind and ice shield. She snapped her fingers, and vines pulled his arms to the ground, causing him to drop to his knees. Stone encased him from the neck down and Hale smiled as she approached him, hands glowing red.

"Do you really want to kill me on live TV for the world to see?" CJ asked. "A CIA Agent killing a civilian in cold blood? That won't look good."

"I'll take my chances." Hale said. CJ became surrounded by a blue aura. The stone encasing him exploded, sending sharp stones and water flying in all directions. Several pieces hit Hale, causing her to stumble back, and a few sliced through her arms, a single piece embedding itself in the side of her abdomen. CJ rushed forward, hands glowing with shadow magic and punched Hale to the ground. He focused and pinned her to the ground with light magic, binding her arms, legs and waist with electricity.

"It's over." CJ said. He stepped forward, stepping on Hale's chest and the two began to glow, as did CJ's amulet. A white stream of light exited Hale's chest, flowing through CJ's body to his amulet. Within a few moments, the glow died down and CJ stepped back and fell to his knees. Shaylene came running into the building and over to CJ. She quickly helped him up, wrapping her arm around his waist and holding him up. Jennette came running in shortly after.

"You need to stop doing that." Shaylene said.

"I know." CJ said.

"Is… Is it over?" Jennette asked.

"I certainly hope so." CJ said.

"Wh-what… Have you done?" Hale asked.

"It's over." CJ said. "Your powers are gone. You've been exposed. Enough people witnessed our fight just now. Given time, the footage will spread where it needs to."

"You can't honestly expect the world to welcome everything that's happened. People with powers… Monsters and strange creatures… Entirely new worlds…" Hale said.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see." CJ said. "Well, maybe not you. I doubt the cells in Gitmo have a view of current events."

* * *

 _July 3, 2015_

 _It worked. I exposed Agent Hale's plans. She's done. I'm safe. My friends are safe. Hale was hauled away in handcuffs by the FBI, and order was restored to the U.S. Government as Hale's CIA position was terminated and the Vice President stepped up to run the country._

 _Last I heard, Hale is in Guantanamo Bay awaiting a Congressional Hearing, and as her plan began to unravel more and more, I've found that people are becoming surprisingly more and more accepting of Catalysts._

 _Through some miracle, everything was wrapped up with enough time that we were able to work something out with Shaylene's school and she was allowed to participate in her graduation ceremony with the rest of her class. She spent the following month doing some make-up work, and she's officially a high school graduate._

 _Now that everything's had time to wind down, we can relax and get back to life as (somewhat) normal._

* * *

CJ walked into a steakhouse on the north side of town. Immediately, he noticed Shaylene and Jennette sitting at a table with a young man in his early 30s and a man and woman in their late 40s or early 50s. The young man had brown eyes and spiked blond hair. The woman had shoulder-length brown hair and green eyes, and the older man had brown eyes, a goatee and was mostly bald except for a couple patches of dirty blond hair on the sides of his head. Shaylene smiled and waved CJ over. He walked over to the table and sat down.

"Just in time." Shaylene said, with a smile. "We haven't even ordered drinks." CJ reached into his pocket and pulled out a small card and handed it to Shaylene.

"Happy Birthday, Shay." CJ said. "The big 18, huh?"

Shaylene smiled. "Finally an adult." She laughed. "Though I've already felt like one for a while."

"You've had a lot happen that's forced you to grow up." CJ said. "And in that, you've done so much for me. You've made me learn a lot. Realize a lot of things that I was already pretty sure about."

"Like what?" Shaylene asked.

"I love you, Shay." CJ said. "And things have been falling apart with Stacey for a while. I've been doubting a lot with her. I can't deal with how jealous and even mean she gets when it comes to you. And… we came to the agreement to see other people last week. Ok, she reluctantly came to agreement. I guess what I'm trying to say is… I'd like to ask you to…" He took a deep breath. "I haven't done this in too long… Will you… Be my girlfriend?" Shaylene pounced on CJ, hugging him tightly.

"Yes!" She said. "I'm not going to lie, and I know this sounds bad, but there was a part of me that hoped this was going to happen."

CJ couldn't help but smile. "I know this is going to sound worse, but a part of me has wanted to let that question slip out for about 5 years."

"We all kind of had a feeling." Jennette said.

"And… you're all okay with this?" CJ questioned.

"Of course." Shaylene's mom, Brenda, said.

"Shaylene trusts you." Her dad Dave said. "And like we've said before, you haven't done anything to break that trust. Well… There have been some incidents in the past, but the things you've done since all this weird power stuff started, even though we didn't know about it at the time, has been more than enough to make up for it."

"Yeah, you've done so much for her in the past two years. So much more than was necessary." Jennette said. "And I am really sorry about everything I said in November. And everything that's happened since. I know I caused a lot of it."

"No you didn't." CJ said. "It was bound to happen. Speaking of all that…" He looked at Dave and Brenda. "I have to admit; I'm surprised how you two are dealing with all this."

"We're just glad the girls are safe." Brenda said. "Sure it's weird, but you three seem to have a handle on it all."

"And it's not something that's going away, so we might as well adjust to it." Dave said.

"I'm just glad Jenn and Shay are safe." Said Steven, the girls' brother.

"Me too." CJ said, smiling as he wrapped his arm around Shaylene and pulled her close. "Me too…"

* * *

 **Author's Note (5/20/16): I know I got really frequent with chapters at the end here, but I was eager to post it all. As of writing this, I'm nearly done writing Leg 3 of The Amazing Race. I'm going to stick to my original schedule of posting TAR starting in June. I'm having fun writing it, I enjoyed writing this story (I just recently played inFamous Second Son and I was binge watching Burn Notice while writing this, so there was definitely some inspiration drawn from those for this), and I'm really looking forward to bringing The Amazing Race back to you guys.**

 **On that note, now that we've reached the end of this, think you know who our final team is? I'll add the final team to the list on my profile within the next few days, so keep an eye out to see who it is.**


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